The zodiacal light or zodiac light (also called false dawn when seen before sunrise) is a faint, diffuse, and roughly triangular white glow that is visible in the night sky and appears to extend from the direction of the Sun and along the zodiac, straddling the ecliptic.

Sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust causes this phenomenon. Zodiacal light is best seen during twilight after sunset in spring and before sunrise in autumn, when the zodiac is at a steep angle to the horizon. However, the glow of the zodiac light is often so faint that moonlight or light pollution, individually or combined, often outshine it, rendering it invisible.

The brightness of zodiacal light decreases with distance from the Sun. In naturally dark night skies, the glow is visible as a band along the entire zodiac, which will completely straddle the ecliptic. In fact, zodiacal light spans the entire sky and largely contributes to the total natural light in a clear and moonless night sky.

Another phenomenon – a faint but slightly brighter oval glow – directly opposite of the Sun is the gegenschein, which is caused by backscattered sunlight.