Startrails Above Everest

Stars trail above the top of the world in this long exposure image. The rotation of the Earth causes the sky to circle around our planet. The scene was recorded from Himalaya mountain range in Nepal. The moonlight has illuminated Mt. Everest (8840 meters, left), Lhotse (the world’s 4th highest at 8516 m, middle), and the outstanding Ama Dablam (6812 m, right). A stupa is also visible in the foreground, along the main trail to the Everest Base Camp. The light in the valley is from the Tengboche Monastery, an important religious center for Sherpa community, which is also along the trail at altitude of about 4000 meters. Click on the second photo to see TWAN photographers Babak Tafreshi and Oshin Zakarian (right) after an imaging night along the route to Everest base camp.