79
Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth. -Ptolemy, c.150 AD
About a month ago I went with the petrol-heads at Pakwheels on a road trip into Balochistan. They are a group of car enthusiasts that go exploring around the country in their trusted SUV’s. I soon learnt that on this particular trip, we would also be joined by some members of the Karachi Astronomers Society and that the purpose of this particular trip was to explore a new location for stargazing.
Though we weren’t going too far from the Sindh border, it would still be my first real look at a province that, these days at least, isn’t exactly the easiest place to casually visit. I was doubly excited about the stargazing, not to mention very eager to meet the folks at KaAS (I didn’t even know we had any astronomers much less a whole society of them).
I met the group early on a beautiful Saturday morning. The party of about 15 people was split up into three cars led by Pakwheels veteran Aqeel Baig in his three-door Land Cruiser Prado. A couple of my friends and I were to ride in an old MUTT Jeep that had been fixed up and modified from its army days by its owner Camran Mir.
The MUTT had no doors or roof, and though it was far from comfortable, it quickly turned out to be the ideal vehicle for photographing the landscape. So we clicked away excitedly as we sped along on the RCD Highway towards Winder in Lasbela, from where we would head north into the mountains.
Three members of the group, Baber Khan, Jawad Hussain, and Fehd Siddique pose in the MUTT at a rest-stop. The other two cars can be seen parked in the background. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
We were heading for a location in the hills that would give us dark, clear night skies for stargazing, a factor that is measured by the “Bortle Dark-sky Scale”. KaAS member Naveed Merchant told me that at a mountaintop of about 3000ft., we would hopefully be able to see a sky that was rated “Class 1” on the scale. This means that the sky is at its darkest and a great range of stars are visible to the naked eye. He also mentioned that with the right timing, even the Milky Way can be seen stretching across the sky with the naked eye. But since this wasn’t the right time of year and we weren’t going on a moonless night, we would only get a small window of time (after the moon had set) to observe that particular sight.
Merchant also told me that Balochistan is an excellent place for stargazing – the clear, cloudless skies and low light-pollution result in a crisp view of the heavens, one that he promised would leave us astounded that night.
But just a couple of hours into the trip, Balochistan had already left me wide-eyed and amazed. In our short trip, we passed an ever changing landscape, including fruit orchards, streams, grassy plains, and different kinds of mountainous terrain.
Getting good landscape shots was easy in the beautiful countryside - even as the car sped along and wind battered us. Needless to say, we were all having a ball with our cameras. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
Naveed Merchant's Land Cruiser speeds along ahead of us as we head for the mountains. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
Offroading on the nearly-untouched terrain was a treat for the PakWheelers. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
The road ended before the mountains began, and we had completed three-fourths of our uphill climb when the gritty slopes struck their first blow: the MUTT had broken its rear axle about 300 feet from the summit, and we would have to climb about a kilometer up on the loose, sliding rocks to the top.
After a nervous climb in the thin highland air, we reached the peak and set-up camp for the night. Soon however, we were warned by locals that road construction on the mountainside could leave us stranded on the summit for up to two days. So after the sun had already set – and with the temperature falling dramatically – we decided that we couldn’t risk getting stuck and had to trek back down to a different campsite.
A view from the mountain-top, just after sunset. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
On the way back as we reached the MUTT, Mir decided to repair his axle then-and-there in the moonlight. Most of our group went on ahead to set-up camp while he slid under his car with an LED torch and a few tools. The rest of us waited bewildered at how he was going to do it. An hour or so later, after some pulling and pushing on the rough, inclined track, Mir had used the nuts from the front axle to repair the rear one. He put the Jeep into rear-wheel-drive and drove us to the campsite where everyone else was already preparing for the night. - Photo by Fehd Siddique
We eventually camped in a clearing in the mountains, a spot that was at a lower altitude but nevertheless afforded a wonderful view of the sky. The moon would set at about four in the morning, giving us plenty of time to sit around the bonfire, eat and take in the atmosphere.
A view of our moonlit campsite in the quiet of the hills. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
I took this time to join Abbas Jafri from KaAS, as he set up his telescope and pointed it at the moon to do some casual observation. Jafri is a physics graduate from KU who is a serious hobbyist and – I am told, is the only real telescope technician currently working in all of Pakistan.
“The moon is not so interesting for us anymore. We are keener on viewing planets and doing deep space observation.” he said. Deep space includes anything outside the solar system, such as other stars, galaxies and nebulae etc.
Abbas Jafri observes Saturn through his 5.1 inch Celestron telescope. There was also another, larger MEAD telescope owned by Naveed Merchant. Merchant also added that he had recently bought a 24 inch telescope made by Webster, which was the largest of its kind in the country. The calibration of these telescopes is a complicated process that Jafri is currently undertaking back home in Karachi. Both of the telescopes had motorized mounts that could track objects in the sky automatically using GPS. - Photo by Fehd Siddique
We observed Mars, Saturn, and the Orion Nebula, through Abbas’ Celestron and small binoculars.
“An ordinary pair of binoculars is actually an excellent viewing tool for any amateur astronomer, and allows you to see greater detail in many parts of the sky” said Jafri, as I viewed the Pleiades star cluster through them.
Even before the full-moon had set (here it is invisible just above the frame) there were a great deal of stars that were visible through the crisp and clear night air. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
By four o’clock in the morning, most of the group was asleep in their tents, and the temperature was freezing. I was shivering under six layers but I stayed up in anticipation as the astronomers started to come out of their tents. It was well worth it because after the moon had set, I was transfixed by the greatest number of stars I had ever seen.
I offered to help Merchant with his large and bulky MEAD telescope, which he set-up with the aid of a red torch. Unlike white light, this red torch would not interfere with our eyes.
“We have a small window of time before the sun starts to rise, and it takes your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness, so be careful not to turn on any other lights now,” said Merchant. He carefully set up his scope in the glow of the bulky red light I was holding for him.
As I looked around in the darkness, the rocky surface of the mountains suddenly felt like another planet. In the dead silence under the thick umbrella of stars, as I watched this bulkily clothed astronomer set up his scope in the eerie red light, it was not hard to imagine that I was standing on the surface of Mars gazing at the expanse of the unexplored universe above. No wonder these guys spent so much time and effort finding these remote locations, I thought; it is an unparalleled experience.
After Jafri helped calibrate the telescope, they started locating different deep-space objects to look at, such as the Hercules Globular Cluster (containing hundreds of thousands of stars) and the spiral shaped Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). A star cluster is any area observable within our own galaxy where a great concentration of stars can be seen, while a galaxy of course is a star system of its own, which is much further away than any of the individual stars that can be seen in the sky.
Above all however, I was eager to see one thing I had never seen before: I asked Jafri when we would be able to see the Milky Way. He pointed towards the west and asked me to look underneath the tail of the Scorpio constellation.
“It will soon rise over there, but you won’t be able to see it very well or for very long, for that you have to wait till May, when it is more easily observable by the naked eye.” He said.
I was barely able to see a dim haze behind the blanket of stars rising over the mountains. This was the Milky Way, a spiral arm of our own galaxy that can be seen from behind the stars that surround us, and covers a significant part of the sky behind the constellations Sagittarius and Carina.
Of course the sun was close behind, so I took my camera and headed off uphill to see what I could shoot. And sure enough, what was barely visible to my eye, appeared as a fantastic glow across the sky in my photos.
This image, stitched from five different shots to form a panorama, shows a section of the Milky Way just above the hilltops. Four meteorites can also be seen as they streaked across the sky during the long 30 second exposures. The glow on the bottom left is that of the sun about to rise. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
Dawn struck soon afterwards, and a few hours later we all set off back for home, but not before making a quick stop for a swim at a small spring in the mountains.
We took a quick dip in the cold water of this small spring. It was just what we needed before heading back. Locals were herding donkeys and small goats on the precarious mountain slopes above. - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui/Dawn.com
When we finally reached back home it was night again. Before I walked into my house, I looked up at the Karachi sky, full of light and haze from the city. Only a few of the brightest stars were dimly shining through. It was strange how it looked so convincingly empty, hiding its secrets as if nothing was there at all. I suppose it would always have been that way for me, if I hadn’t gone and seen the stars as they shine above Balochistan.
Some members of the group, including the PakWheels and KaAS members, pose with us for a photo before heading back home. - Photo by Fehd Siddique
Here is a gallery of Nadir’s photos from the trip.
[nggallery id=5081]
Nadir Siddiqui is a photographer and interactive producer at Dawn.com. You can view some of his photography here.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Awesome, great pictures.
Wow Wow Wow!!! Pictures are simply amazing.
Nice and hard work, next time I ll try to give you a tracking mount for wide angle dark sky shots.
I was the part of expedition wounder full site bortel 1 sky.
Guys join KAS or Pakwheels ..
Hey Nadir
Great writing and fabulous photos. Thanks for sharing.
rs
Quintessentially display of natural beauty. Great work
Very Nice Nadir , Yeh country has a great sky both northern and southern skies specially Baluchistan is wounder for darkness, astronomers always love the dark sky,I visited several time with Karachi Astronomers Society and do astronomy by largest telescope and most advance telescopes of Pakistan, amazing exp…Keep thumbs up ..
wow… amazing.. great yar… keep up …
I have been trying to be part of the Star Gazers but not lucky enough to be so far. Can someone help me become part of the group which provides the updates, my email is s_d147 on the yahoo. Please put the subject star gazer. Thanks
Nawaz
Anyone can become a member, just visit http://www.kaasts.com and http://www.facebook.com/KarachiAstronomy
KAAS is planning star party event for 24th March night at the same location. Stay tuned to KAAS website
Amazing work! This includes one more thing that I must add to my bucket list!
Splendid! extra-ordinary!
Balochistan is a haven for astro tourism…
Beautiful pics depicting the endless loving horizon of Baluchistan.I have been in Quetta and Lakpass,a mountain some 8500 Feet of altitude with respect to sea level in the suburb of Quetta for three years and seen there great seasons,extreme temperature,wind of 50 knots, uncommon plantations,wild life and unique colours n structures of rocks and mountains and especially to mention here, the night sky.I had never ever imagined such a sky to be seen in my life.There was no place in the sky where some stars were not glittering.It seemed that the arrangements were fabricated but it was real, unbelievably a fact that could not be denied.And then travelling by road on public coaches to Quetta from Karachi,was another exiting and thrilling experience.
Nadir Siddiqui,you have reminded me those lovely days..Thanks a lot. I pray, all the best for the gr8 people of Baluchistan.
can only partly imagine how spellbounding the whole deal mustve been… i had a similar experience in Naran.. what a beautiful country we have!! also, lovely photography!!
Ammmmazing….
Excellent. Amazing. Incredible. I thank Nadir Siddiqui and Dawn for treat to my turbulent mind. Thanks for a thousand times.
Execellent. Amazing. Incredible. I thank Nadi Siddiqui and Dawn for giving a treat to my turbulant mind. Lakh wari shukriya.
Upload the original high-res pictures please!
awesome journey with awesome photo shots,keep it up.
Execellent photography, i really love the secenes and nature of Balohistan. I appreciate efforts made by the group for this wonderful work.
Good work and excellent photgraphy. Keep exploring Balochistan. It would be nice to share brief comments on the local community
Great journey. It is unfortunate that the average person in Pakistan is afraid of traveling there. I love Balochistan. We used to go there for our geology mapping classes. No more, sadly.
this is incredible. went all the way to NZ to do stargazing. Never knew it was available in my own country.
Its timely contribution,when the worldis focusing eyes on this beautiful place.I wonder wyhy Baloch leadrs ( so called) ccanot see this beauty and they are making it ugly with thier stubbon attitudes, lets the travels come and Baloch will be happy and prosperous.
God bless Balochistani poor people,ameen.
Nadir you are lucky to witness such beauty in Pakistan, I envy you but i am glad you shared your experience with us…keep up the good work.
I used to work in Baluchistan on drilling rigs for oil/gas. I can recall seeing similar things in night shifts like in the photographs but never paid much attention like this. Now I regret, do not think I will get another chance.
Thoroughly enjoyed this post, thanks for the efforts
Very well written, and great pics. Sounds like a phenomenal experience. Would love to make that trip myself. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful pics bro…no mention of exact locations/places though.
Wow what beautiful pics of a great countryside
Excellent pictures. And great use of UV, polarizer, and grad filters. My guess is that these pictures were taken by a Nikon camera. Yes?
spell bound! awsome
Hands down, this is one of the best blog articles I've read recently…some splendid photography coupled with excellent writing! Kudos Nadir! It's something else seeing Balochistan through your lens.
Beautifull really enjoyed the natural beauty through your eyes and lens.
There's a great future for Baluchistan as a "dark sky reserve", away from all that light pollution. One advantage of having very limited development.
Mr. Iqbal
I agree with you. Balochistan should be developed only for tourism which can bring immense wealth to Pak excheqer
It is all Almighty's creation. Read Koran and able to find the answer.
Awesome. Enjoyed it.
What a beautiful country!
immense pleasure by watching these marvelous pics.Great work done by you guys.
awesome snaps. Reminds me of my native where even now I can see the milky with my naked eyes because the place is "Underdeveloped". Sometimes I feel the let us have no development at all so that I can breath fresh air drink pure water and not RO water and have fresh vegetables without the "Organic "tag, "listen" to the pindrop silence and walk on the mud roads without being hit by a speeding vehicle. Just do not know whether Balochistan should develop or remain underdeveloped.
Awesome work guys!!! Simply amazing!!!
this is so good. I really want to embark on a journey like this..mhm..pakwheels, here I come?
"LIKE" this! My kind of stuff! Good Work Team! We hardly we find anyone with such keen interest in exploring the galactic sector!
Beautifully described … and such a nice piece after such a long time. I always miss the stars and star gazing in Quetta and whilst travelling outside Quetta…now that I live in Islamabad. But I thought it's just me …after reading this I am sure the stars shine more over Balochistan.
nadir, a high-res of the milky way panorama would be nice
Beautiful…. what a wonderful place. I wish things had been normal between India and Pakistan so we could visit.
THis is amazing!
Beautiful Balochistan !!!!
The Galactic Center is a breath taking view. Bravo Siddiqui.
This is just BEAUTIFUL.
Thank You for sharing this with us all.
Amazing. Simple awesome. Us city slickers can only envy you guys!
Amazing Balochistan! How could one be part of your trips?
let us all start exploring our own country,it is has all beyond our imagination.Pakistan the beautiful,great effort boys,keep doing
Awesome article and Breath taking photography…
Very very interesting. Another side to Balochistan. Hope the death mongers disappear somewhere and leave us all in PEACE
Oh What a wonderful sky. Excellent Pictures. Thanks
Absolutely outstanding. Thanks to all of you for this adventure.
Breathtaking snaps especially the one with the meteorites streaking. Also loved the landscape.
It took us 65 years to discover this beauty.
Truly amazing! I learnt something today!
Those are not meteorites, those are airplanes/satellites.
I just went through all your work, I am absolutely in love with it! Really amazing shots!
This is really Awesome.!! The place is simply great. The sky must be Bortle 1. The pictures are amazing..
I wish I was with KaAS.
Regards,
Abubaker Siddiq
A founding member,
KaAS
Brilliant photography and an enjoyable blog. Just proves again that Pakistan and Pakistanis are full of life and beauty!
This is just amazing! wow:) I have cal 1 exam tomorow, and this just made my day!
Can you please guide me on how to travel there and what are the expenses?
Fantastic — This verse is very apt for those photos.
Inhi Patharaon Pay Chal Kar Agar Aaa Sako Tou Aao
Mere Ghar Kay Raastay May Koi Kehkashaan Nahee Hai.
by Mustafa Zaidi.
Breathtaking photography!
wow what a place i wana be a trip too pakwheels. what a beauty there GOD made this world so beautiful.
Its fascinating to look at sky during nights, at remote places. Amazing images and breathtaking sky view. There is no place like Balochistan even on the whole planet.
It is nice to know that we also have kids with pioneers spirit. Keep up the good work, and happy trails.
Aww i want to be a trip of PakWheels
i remember sleeping in courtyard during summer in my childhood. if it rained during night, dad used to carry us inside one by one. we used to gaze at stars and listen to movie dialogue from a far far cinema in silence of village.
then…. there was robbery in one of my uncles home in which he was killed. never slept outside after that…
its fascinating to look at sky during nights at remote places.
If more people like you started admiring nature and the wonders of the world, more of them would become tolerant of deviations from the norm, and be capable of living in peace.
Amazing stuff
Amazing images and breathtaking sky view. There is no place like Balochistan even on the whole planet.
great pictures. badly written though.
Lucky you… Siddiqui Sahib. I really envy you… wish to have such a chance for myself and for my kids. Would you believe, while growing up in Lahore, during the early sixties, when we used to sleep outside during summers, the Milkyway would show up among the countless bright stars night after night to enchant us kids. My dad used to call it Kehkashaan… How much more beautiful and apt name doing justice to its expanse and splendour. Hope to see it one more time before I die… IA.
Good one. Keep up with that!