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Babak Tafreshi | Photographer, Explorer, Speaker

National Geographic photojournalist, founder of The World at Night (TWAN), preserving natural night skies, bridging art & science

Author: Babak Tafreshi

National Geographic photographer, science journalist, founder of The World at Night (TWAN) program, preserving natural night skies, bridging art & science

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For The World at Night program @twanight, which I started in 2007 and currently rubs with a team of 40 photographers in ~20 countries, documenting the night sky above the world heritage sites has been a prime target. Each trip was usually supported by a media outlet or local organizations. In 2009, together with my colleague @oshinzak we traveled to Nepal for public astronomy outreach programs, a documentary film (Acquainted with the Night, by Michael Mcnamara), and a hiking trip to Sagarmatha National Park; home to Mt Everest. On this night at about 4000 meters high, after a long walk at night in fog, we finally reached right above the clouds where stunning view of Ama Dablam peak emerged under stars. Moonlight from behind us was shining on Himalayas and Pleiades star cluster was high above the peak. A moment to remember for a lifetime.

Star-filled sky during the astronomical twilight in the Canary Islands. The elongated patch of “Zodiacal Light” appears above the fog-filled valley. The cone-shaped diffuse glow is the sunlight reflecting from dust in the Solar System plane which is mainly scattered between Mars and Jupiter. This mystical light is visible only in dark skies, far from light pollution, after dusk or before dawn. Have you ever seen it? #stargazing #astrophotography #babakworkshops @twanight

I will be under the starry skies of Eastern Sierra on June 22-26 for my annual California Nightscapes photo workshops with @mikeshawphotography and up to 15 participants. About 5-6 hours drive from LA, Bay Area, or Las Vegas, this program is open to both beginners and pros and a few spots are available right now. Tap the link in my bio to learn more or type babaktafreshi.com/ca22

Each year, the National Geographic Society @insidenatgeo recognizes individuals who lead a new age of exploration through science, education, conservation, technology, and storytelling. I’m thrilled to receive the 2022 Wayfinder Award, next week in the NatGeo Explorers Festival at the headquarters in Washington DC. I also congratulate 13 others NG explorers from across the globe (and one astronaut in the orbit!) who receive the award. See slide 2 and learn more on blog.NationalGeographic.org

A normally weak and little known meteor shower Tau Herculids may deliver a dramatic outburst on the night of May 30-31. The parent comet of the meteors broke up in 1995 and some experts predicted the Earth will pass through the little icy debris in 2022; around 5:00 UT on Tuesday May 31st. It is 1 am Eastern Time and I0 pm Pacific Time. The timing is perfect for Americas and could be visible in Western Europe too. No one is sure if this happens at all, and if on time, but it could be a remarkable show specially if watched away from city lights, better in the northern hemisphere.

It was about midnight on the bottom of Zion Canyon in Utah, Jan 2021. The setting moon was still shining on the passing clouds. My camera was looking directly up for a long-exposure image of about 45 minutes. The rotating sky, by the Earth rotation, made these startrails. The colors represent the stars surface temperature with blue the hottest (young massive stars) and the orange-red the coolest (old red giants). See this scene in video in my earlier post (March 21). For print inquiries please message and for more images of the site at night tap the link my bio to the fine art catalog and search Zion. #zion #nationalparks #longexposure @twanight

Most of the vast cosmic clouds of hydrogen in our galaxy are invisible to naked eyes, but a sensitive camera reveals them, and their surprising true colors. In the center-left of this image in North America Nebula in constellation Cygnus, the swan. With apparent size of 2 degrees it is 4x wider than the full moon. Considering its immense distance of 2500 light years away, it is 100 billion times wider than our planet!

Two nights ago at 2000 meters altitude on La Palma, Canary Islands. A single exposure of 20 seconds with the galaxy rising in the bokeh backdrop. Known as Tajinaste in Spanish, it is Echium wildpretii, also called the tower of jewels. This otherworldly plant, up to 3 meters tall, is a wonderful example of how nature can recover if we act as gardeners of Earth, and not her enemy. In early 2000s the plant was nearly extinct on this island, from intrusions by both rabbits and humans. Less than a dozen individual plant was left when major conservation started by the locals. Now hundreds of them are found on the mountain, blooming in May. The neighboring island of Tenerife is also home to the red flowering version of them.

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