Artist's impression of a view from within the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Two rocky, cratered asteroids are seen

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Artist's impression of a view from within the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Two rocky, cratered asteroids are seen at upper left and lower right and the Sun and the planet Mars are seen in the distance at right. The Sun is surrounded by a halo which is elongated into two spikes at upper right and lower left. This is due to the reflection of the Sun's light by dust lying within the plane of the solar system. The effect is visible from dark sites on Earth and is known as the zodiacal light.

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Size: 4665px × 3801px
Photo credit: © JULIAN BAUM/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: art, asteroid, astronomy, belt, cosmology, light, mars, sun, zodiacal