A ghostly pyramid of light is about to appear before dawn — here's how to see it

黎明前，一道幽灵般的金字塔形光带即将现身——观测方法如下

Starting today (Sept. 9), skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere have a chance to spot one of the night sky's more elusive sights: the zodiacal light.

从今天（9月9日）开始，北半球的天空观测者有机会一睹夜空中更难以捕捉的景象之一：黄道光。

Zodiacal light is a faint, pyramid-shaped glow rising in the east before morning twilight. It is caused by sunlight reflecting off interplanetary dust.

黄道光是黎明前在东方升起的微弱的金字塔形光芒。它是由阳光反射行星际尘埃形成的。

The phenomenon is sometimes nicknamed the "false dawn" because its soft glow can be mistaken for the signs of morning twilight. Unlike dawn, however, the zodiacal light appears as a distinct cone or wedge of light extending upwards from the horizon along the ecliptic — the apparent path the sun, moon and planets follow across the sky.

这种现象有时被戏称为“假黎明”，因为它柔和的光芒可能会被误认为是晨曦的迹象。然而，与黎明不同的是，黄道光看起来像一个独特的锥形或楔形光，沿着黄道从地平线向上延伸——这是太阳、月亮和行星穿过天空的明显路径。

Early fall provides a good opportunity for northern hemisphere observers to look for zodiacal light before dawn, when the angle of the ecliptic helps the glow stand more prominently above the eastern horizon.

初秋为北半球的观察者提供了一个在黎明前寻找黄道光的好机会，此时黄道的角度有助于光芒在东方地平线上更加突出。

Timing and location are everything in order to observe the Zodiacal Light. You must be far from city lights, looking east, around 4:00 a.m. EDT. Give your eyes plenty of time to adjust to the darkness and avoid looking at your phone or other bright lights while searching for the faint glow.

时机和位置都是为了观察黄道光。美国东部时间凌晨4点左右，你必须远离城市灯光，向东看。给你的眼睛足够的时间来适应黑暗，避免在寻找微弱光线时看手机或其他明亮的灯光。

Trace the cone of light as high as possible. Under pristine, dark skies, you can follow this glow deep into the zodiacal constellations that lie along the ecliptic. The base of the light cone will start near Cancer, resting just above the horizon, stretching upward through Gemini, and reaching high into the predawn sky toward Taurus.

尽可能高地追踪光锥。在原始、黑暗的天空下，你可以跟随这种光芒深入黄道沿线的黄道星座。光锥的底部将从巨蟹座附近开始，停留在地平线上方，向上延伸穿过双子座，并到达黎明前的天空，朝向金牛座。

Capturing the Zodiacal Light is very similar to photographing the Milky Way. You will want a fast, wide-angle lens (such as a 14 mm lens at f/2.8) to properly frame the sweeping diagonal of these constellations. Use a high ISO (1600 to 3200) and take a 15-to-20-second exposure on a fixed tripod.

捕捉黄道光和拍摄银河系非常相似。你需要一个快速的广角镜头（比如f/2.8的14毫米镜头）来正确地框定这些星座的对角线。使用高ISO（1600到3200），在固定三脚架上曝光15到20秒。