Most days, when Darya Kawa returns home from work, he follows a routine. After a quick lunch and some rest, around 5:00 pm, he carefully carries his heavy telescopes – each weighing about 25 kilograms – to the roof of his home. He shuts the door behind him, creating a quiet sanctuary where he patiently waits to capture his best astronomy photographs. His favorite subject is the Moon. Some nights, he stays on the roof until two in the morning, but his family never complains. They understand his passion and make sure not to make any noise or climb the stairs, knowing that even the softest footsteps could disrupt the delicate balance of his telescopes.

Darya is an astrophotographer living in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This year, one of his images of the Moon went viral after he shared it on his Instagram account and an astrophotography page on Facebook. The image generated 100,000 likes on the astrophotography page, making it the post with the most engagement on the page to date. When Darya published the image on his Instagram, he had 400,000 followers. In just one day, his followers increased by 100,000. He now has more than 882,000 followers. The image has been shared widely by media outlets and social media pages around the globe.

The photo sparked debates among viewers, with many declaring it “the clearest image of the Moon” ever published. Other headlines read “Photographer Takes Clearest and Sharpest Moon Images” and “Photographer Captures Most Detailed Photos of the Moon Ever Taken.”

Comments on social media were overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. One user wrote, “Amazing. No words to describe this!” Another commented, “Outstanding image and loads of work. All credit to you, sir.” Still another added, “I have to print this and hang it in my room.”

“If a picture doesn’t shock me, I won’t publish it on my Instagram,” Darya stated confidently.

When asked by Kurdistan Chronicle whether he believes his photo is the clearest ever taken of the Moon, Darya replied, “I don’t know; I hope so. But now I am dedicating more of my time and energy to astrophotography. My dream is to become known worldwide for capturing the clearest picture not only of the Moon, but also of other astronomical objects.”

Darya revealed that it took him eight days to assemble the photograph. “Taking astronomical images is like building a puzzle, piece by piece. It took me four days of shooting, and then another four days to process the images and assemble them into a single picture,” he explained.

A spiritual passion from childhood

Darya holds a master’s degree in agriculture, water, and soil science and currently works as an administrator at Sami Abdulrahman Park, the largest public park in Erbil. But his love for cameras began long before his professional career. “The first time I saw a camera as a child, I was obsessed with it,” he recalls.

In 2007, he was finally able to afford his first camera, a small Canon. He began capturing photos of nature and landscapes during family picnics. “I was always trying to imitate photographers from Iceland and the United States, constantly studying their landscape photos, especially of places like the Grand Canyon,” Darya shared. A self-taught photographer, he has never received any formal training, mastering camera techniques and editing on his own.

Darya’s passion for the stars also has deep roots. As a child, like many in Erbil in the 1980s and 1990s, he would sleep on the roof during the hot summer months, staring at the night sky, mesmerized by the stars, the planets, and the mysteries of space.

In 2017, his fascination with the cosmos led him to purchase his first telescope from Amazon – a simple children’s model, as it was all he could afford at the time. The telescope was confiscated at Erbil International Airport, and it took him three months to obtain security clearance to retrieve it. Once he had it, he started taking photos of the Moon and quickly noticed how much people appreciated his work.

Early in 2023, NASA contacted him because they wanted to publish one of his Moon pictures as the Astronomy Picture of the Day under the title “Moon Enhanced.”

“It was the happiest day of my life,” said Darya. He added that NASA reached out because they wanted more detailed information about the picture before they could publish it.

Following this recognition, another Kurdish astrophotographer, Hasan Begzadeh, reached out to Darya and gifted him an advanced camera and telescope, urging him to keep pursuing his passion.

“Hasan’s support was huge; it was a major upgrade for me,” Darya acknowledged.

Now, Darya is working to expand his horizons, with his sights set on capturing the clearest picture of the Sun.

Qassim Khidhir has 15 years of experience in journalism and media development in Iraq. He has contributed to both local and international media outlets.