Away from the light pollution of cities, the night sky in several destinations in the Sultanate of Oman witnesses some of the best scenes of astronomy, where space lovers can immerse themselves in watching the marvels of the universe and pondering its secrets.
This image includes several astronomical phenomena, such as the alignment of the planets, from bottom to top, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter, in addition to the Milky Way galaxy in the center,
And the Omani photographer, who is interested in astrophotography, Ali Al-Kindi, points his lens towards the night sky in the Sultanate of Oman, to reveal a magic that not many people know regarding in the country.
In an interview with CNN in Arabic, Al-Kindi says: “There is beauty that cannot be seen with the naked eye, so we need camera lenses and certain settings to reveal what is dim in the night sky.”
Al-Kindi explains that he is keen to document these astronomical phenomena in the Sultanate of Oman, with the aim of spreading astronomical knowledge among the general public and educating them regarding it.
From ancient tombs dating back to the Bronze Age, to the highest mountain peak in the Sultanate of Oman, Al-Kindi roams the country in search of the most beautiful sites in which the marvels of the universe can be observed.
In one of its images, the arc of the galaxy stands out over the ancient tombs of Kekeb on a clear night.
At an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level, the ancient tombs of Kabeeb are located near the village of Qur’an above the Selama plateau. They are archaeological tombs in the form of a beehive, dating back to the Bronze Age regarding 4,000 years ago, and they are older than the Egyptian pyramids. , according to the Discover Oman website.
In another image, the scene of the Milky Way galaxy shines between the arms of the Sun Mountain, while Jupiter and Mars can be observed in the same image.
Al-Kindi describes his series on astronomical phenomena in the Sultanate of Oman as wonderful scenes that raise a question: “How can this beauty adorn the sky, and we can only see it from some areas free from light pollution, which are regarding 100 kilometers away from us.”
A picture of Izbat al-Maha in Duqm, which is distinguished by its distance from light pollution. Al-Kindi said: “The place gives a different feeling to those who have not tried sitting under the stars.”,
Al-Kindi’s passion for astrophotography began for the first time when he saw pictures of the galaxy with one of the astronomical calculations. At that time, he had a question: “Can such an image be documented with a camera lens? What are the necessary settings to capture a similar one? Where can these astronomical phenomena be documented?”
From here, Al-Kindi began the journey of research and self-learning by following up the official astronomical calculations to find out when these unique phenomena would occur.
Al-Kindi’s best picture is a picture of the galaxy’s arc phenomenon above a tree in Jabal Al-Sarah, as he remembers the ideal photography conditions that continued until he finished the photography process.
