I’m writing Wood’s Chase right now and have Mac come down to the boat about four in the morning. With the stern facing east, he sits and ponders his latest problem (no spoilers here) and stares at the night sky.
Darkness and an unobstructed view of the horizon are prerequisites for a good view of the heavens. The backcountry of the Florida Keys has both, but you need to get away from the mainland.
Even in Marathon, the light pollution makes it difficult to appreciate the sky. The culprit is usually security lights which are present on most canals. Big Pine is better, but even one bright light can ruin your night vision. Ten miles out in the Gulf where Mac lives, the stars, planets, and even the Milky Way are easy to see.
Sitting out there, pondering his problems Mac witnesses false dawn. I’ve seen the phenomena but was never sure what caused it until writing this scene.
About an hour before dawn there is often a triangular-shaped light on the eastern horizon. If the sky is dark enough it looks like the sun is almost ready to break the horizon. The sun is responsible for the false dawn but in an indirect way.
The zodiacal light is actually sunlight reflecting off dust particles that move in the same plane as Earth and the other planets orbiting our sun.