Reader picture essay: Starry night

Welcome to the Earth’s home galaxy – the Milky Way. Gulf News reader Ahmad Riswan, captured its cosmic beauty and said: ‘Astrophotography is a passion and I had to wait almost two years to find a place without light pollution. My search for a clear night sky come to an end at Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India.’

Editor’s note: Send us your picture essays at readers@gulfnews.com.

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Riswan said: ‘This Milky Way panorama is from a camping site in Kaza, Spiti Valley. This scene was on my wish list for a long time, and this photograph was a ‘dream come true’ moment for me.’

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The galaxy rises above Key Monastery, situated in Spiti Valley. Riswan said: ‘The monastery is located at an altitude of 13,668 feet above the sea level.’

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The Milky Way is shaped like a warped disc, with 90 per cent of the galaxy’s mass consisting of dark matter. Riswan captured this image from the terrace of his accommodation.

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A midnight motorcycle ride to Key Monastery in Spiti Valley, allowed Riswan to capture the Milky Way as an arc.

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As galaxies go, the Milky Way is a middleweight, with between 100-400 billion stars. When you look up into the night sky, the most you can see from any one point on the globe is about 2,500.