A faint diffuse glow, comparable in intensity to the fainter parts of the Milky Way, produced by the reflection of sunlight from zodiacal dust particles in the ecliptic plane. From temperate latitudes, the zodiacal light is best seen on spring evenings about 90 min after sunset, or in the autumn about 90 min before sunrise; at these times, the ecliptic, along which the light appears to extend for some 60° to 90°, lies at a steep angle relative to the horizon. An observing site free from light pollution is essential. The intensity of the zodiacal light may vary with the solar cycle, being greatest around sunspot minimum when the interplanetary solar wind is dominated by fast-flowing particle streams from coronal holes.