The Zodiacal Dust Cloud is a vast, pancake-shaped cloud of fine dust particles permeating the inner solar system, concentrated along the ecliptic plane from the Sun to beyond Earth's orbit. It originates mainly from comet disintegration and asteroid collisions, with particles ranging from micrometers to millimeters.
This region causes the zodiacal light, a faint glow visible from Earth after sunset or before sunrise.
The term "zodiacal" refers to its alignment with the zodiac constellations. First scientifically described in the 17th century, its origins were debated until recent missions.
Significant events include NASA's Juno spacecraft detections in 2021, revealing Mars as a major dust source via interplanetary impacts, and Parker Solar Probe data mapping its structure. This dust influences planetary atmospheres and poses hazards to spacecraft.
