... Credit Copyright: Yuri Beletsky ( Las Campanas Observatory , Carnegie Institution ) Explanation: Is the night sky darkest in the direction opposite the Sun? ... In fact, a rarely discernable faint glow known as the gegenschein (German for "counter glow") can be seen 180 degrees around from the Sun in an extremely dark sky. ... Here a deep exposure of an extremely dark sky over Las Campanas Observatory in Chile shows the gegenschein so clearly that even a surrounding glow is visible. ...