False Fajr

False Dawn (Zodiacal Light)

The false dawn, also known as false Fajr, refers to a natural phenomenon that occurs before the actual dawn or the Fajr prayer time. It is characterised by a faint glow on the horizon, which can sometimes be mistaken for the true dawn, but begins earlier and disappears before the actual sunrise. The false dawn is primarily observed in certain geographical locations and under specific atmospheric conditions.

The appearance of the false dawn is caused by the scattering of sunlight in the Earth's atmosphere. When the sun is below the horizon, sunlight can still reach the upper layers of the atmosphere and scatter. This scattering causes the sky to display a faint illumination, thus creating a false impression of brightness before the actual sunrise.