A photographer in Dubai has captured a remarkable image of the International Space Station above the UAE. Florian Kriechbaumer took the photo when there was a full Moon and clear skies. The image shows the floating laboratory in crisp detail, its solar panels and craters on the lunar surface clearly visible. “It was the first space station-Moon transit I attempted after a few months of monitoring its trajectory and the online alert tools from Nasa and others,” he told <i>The National</i>. “These occasions happen only a few times a year at best and a lot of things need to come together: something close to a full Moon, good weather conditions and the angle for the ISS relatively close to Earth. And of course, being in the right location at the right time.” The German citizen, who has lived in the Emirates since 2007, snapped the image this year. The ISS began operations in 2000 when the first crew arrived on board and has been continuously occupied since. Astronauts carry out research on the station, such as growing vegetables, vaccine development and infectious disease studies in microgravity. Mr Kriechbaumer, 33, who works for a technology company, started astrophotography as a hobby five years ago. “I don’t even use a telescope, just a normal mirrorless camera. I do love photography and its broad range of domains. The niche I really enjoy is combining astrophotography with traditional approaches and compositions,” he said. “The last five years I took a deeper interest in astrophotography and the night sky. It’s a whole dedicated domain that requires a different approach and knowledge than other parts of photography, often with a lot more planning and patience involved, which makes it quite intriguing.” Mr Kriechbaumer has captured other stunning images of the cosmos, including the Andromeda galaxy and the Jupiter and Saturn conjunction next to the Burj Khalifa. In general, I just really enjoy planning and executing on photos that include the celestial elements of the universe together with earthly elements,” he said.
