I still remember the thrill when I first saw the moon through a telescope. Even though it was just a toy telescope, I was blown away by the amount of detail I suddenly had before my eyes. And now imagine capturing all that detail over the course of four days. That’s as detailed as you can imagine – and more. This is exactly what Iraq-based photographer Darya Kawa Mirza did, and he kindly shared his incredibly detailed moon images with us.
Besides being incredibly detailed, Darya says it’s also his clearest and sharpest moon image ever. As I mentioned, it required four days of continuous moon observation and shooting, ending up with over 81,000 images. They were stacked together to create the final 708 GB piece, with a whopping 159.7 MP resolution. This high-resolution moon image showcases the moon surface in stunning clarity, revealing its craters and topography in unprecedented detail. Darya merged four different moon phases, including the full moon and new moon, along with the moon’s shadow area, to reveal the intricate structure of the lunar terrain.
Taking the Moon Images for Stacking
To take this photo, Darya used the Skywatcher Flextube 250p Dobsonian telescope modified on equatorial mount NEQ 6pro. For the camera, he used his trusty Canon EOS 1200D for minerals and ZWO ASI 178mc for details. This combination allowed him to achieve a level of high-quality visuals that truly capture the essence of the night sky.
What inspired Darya was watching other astronomers capture moon images but with higher quality than his. This made him learn and push himself to try and reach a higher level. “Also, when I saw all the precious support I gained, it encouraged me to work harder to reach a level of detail that is very hard to achieve,” he tells DIYP.
Challenges and Rewards
Darya invested an immense amount of time and effort. Considering this, I wondered about the most challenging aspect of this project and its most rewarding moment. He says that the technique itself was extremely challenging for him. It’s extremely demanding, and only a few astronomers have been able to do it correctly. But it was worth it. “My most rewarding moment was when NASA shared my image as the first person in the country to earn such a reward,” Darya says, “which drew a lot of local news attention.”
Scientific Significance of Darya’s Moon Image
With such an incredible amount of detail, I was wondering if Darya considered sharing his work to contribute to science. He tells me that a few scientific books and magazines have already published some of his images. “Moreover, many teachers and professors contacted me to share my moon data as specific research to study the geological surface of the moon and compare it to the Earth,” he adds. This visualization of the moon’s surface provides valuable insights for researchers studying lunar formations. However, he admits that he would need a larger telescope to increase the credibility of his data.
When we asked about future plans, Darya told us that getting a larger telescope is a part of his plan. “My future project is to own a larger telescope to photograph nebulas and galaxies with exceptional details,” he says. “Furthermore, I would like to capture the planet Jupiter in the highest detail possible.”
Enjoy Darya’s work on his Instagram, and you can buy prints of it here. His breathtaking moon images are must-see examples of visual storytelling and a deep and artistic exploration of our satellite.