From the June 2010 issue

A zodiacal cloud close to home

The beautiful zodiacal light visible in Earth's sky could have inspired the most iconic structures of ancient Egypt.
By | Published: June 28, 2010 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
August 2010 WE sun pillar
A Sun pillar would have been a dazzling sight to the ancient Egyptians — as it is to us today. The shape could have inspired the creation of obelisks.
Randall Wehler

The exozodiacal dust clouds that surround other stars both hinder and help astronomers searching for planets beyond our solar system.