AlUla’s low-light skies draw astrophotographers as Saudi shooter earns national award

SPA

ALULA, February 4, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – AlUla has become a destination for astrophotographers in recent years, supported by clear skies and low light pollution that enable detailed night-sky imaging, including views of the Milky Way, meteor activity and deep-sky objects.

Local terrain has provided varied backdrops for night shoots, with photographers using open desert spaces and rock formations as foregrounds for wide-field astronomy images, according to information shared by the region’s astrophotography community.

Saudi photographer Abubakr Abdullah Basudan has documented multiple night-sky scenes in AlUla from different locations, using the area’s visibility conditions and landscape variety.

Basudan placed first nationally in the “Abaad” astrophotography competition launched by the Saudi Space Agency, according to the information. Several of his images were also published on NASA platforms, including photographs of nebulae.

He described astrophotography as requiring specialist cameras, telescopes and accurate tracking of star movement, while noting that AlUla’s sky quality can support high-level results even with less complex equipment.