Yaks in a Tibetan Night

Look, they are watching you! Yak is the most common domesticated animal throughout the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau and Mongolia, due to its well adapted physiology to high altitudes. In this crystal clear night, moonlight illuminates the landscape of Mount Kailashi’s north face. With the first quarter Moon setting in the west, the Milky Way appears more prominently in the starry sky. The image has also recorded a bright moondog or paraselene at the right. The paraselene is produced by moonlight shining through thin, hexagonal-shaped ice crystals in high cirrus clouds. The photo is taken from DrirapukGompa on the Mount Kailashi pilgrimage, 5200m above sea level.