View larger. | Sudip Aich wrote: “Sleeping Buddha from Sandakphu! It is said that Buddha is lying in eternal sleep on the highest point in India on the Kanchenjunga range. Its the snowline that appears like Buddha in deep slumber overlooking and protecting entire mankind.” Nikon D3200, 55-300 Zoom, f4.5, ISO 400, 1/250.
Sudip Aich captured this image of the Himalayas at sunrise on November 29, 2018. He was perched at Sandakphu, the highest point of the Darjeeling district on the West Bengal-Nepal border. The peak on which he was standing is at 11, 900 feet (3,627 meters). It offers outstanding views of the mountains surrounding it, which is why Sudip Aich said:
This is one place that you need to go, no matter how many wonderful places within the Himalayas you have been to.
From Sandakphu, you can see four of the five highest peaks in the world, Mount Everest (29,029 feet; 8,848 meters), Kangchenjunga (28,169 feet; 8,586 meters) , Lhotse (27,940 feet; 8,516 meters), and Makalu (27,838 feet; 8,485 meters).
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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