I am part of a local astronomy group that regularly goes on weekend trips to dark sites, normally around the new moon period. Here in Oman, there are still a few locations that are remote enough to allow good observation, where light pollution is lower than usual.
Last February, the group headed to Wadi Sahtan, at the foot of the impressive north face of Jebel Shams, the highest mountain in Oman. I had visited this location previously, so after setting up camp, I walked around for a while, scouting for interesting photographic opportunities. I took a few photos around sunset time, returning to camp after this brief session. This is more of a sunrise location because the sun sets early here, behind the towering face of Jebel Shams.
I had a great night observing planets and celestial objects and went to sleep a bit earlier than usual; I was planning to wake up before sunrise just to check the light in the east. I woke up to a cold morning. After all, February in the mountains is cold, even in Oman! I climbed to the top of a hill I had visited the previous day and waited for the sunrise.
I had my camera with the 70-300mm zoom lens; I am a big fan of a telezoom for landscape photography because of the flexibility it provides. As the eastern horizon started to lighten, I took a few test shots just to check for focus. The air was crisp and clear, and just before the sun appeared, a series of light rays shot up from behind the mountains in a fantastic light show. I was happy to have witnessed and photographed such an event.
