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Meet Prathamesh, the Boy Behind the Moon Photo That Shook the Internet

Team StoryWeavers|July 28, 2021, 11:31 IST| 190

There’s no age limit when it comes to following your dreams and pursuing your passion. All you need is patience coupled with the curiosity to keep learning. For Prathamesh Jaju, a 16-year-old class 10 student from Pune, this proved to be the winning mantra. An aspiring astronomer with a passion for photography, Prathamesh’s carefully-honed astrophotography skills helped him capture one of the clearest pictures ever of our celestial neighbour – the moon. Not only was this beautiful snap an achievement in itself, but it was also the key behind catapulting Prathamesh to internet stardom.

How did he do it? Hear it from the boy behind the lens!

Patience pays

His photo of the ‘mineral moon’ wasn’t a one-shot miracle. There was a long exhausting process that went into producing this stunning image. The entire exercise involved capturing 50,000 lunar photos that Prathamesh took over a period of roughly four hours to take them. And then, the processing of the image took close to 40 hours. Fair to say, he wasn’t joking when he said that patience is key! But the payoff, as you saw, is ultimately beautiful. “When I finally saw the image, I was overwhelmed. It made me very happy,” he said of his initial reaction to seeing the photo.

Prathamesh first uploaded the photo on his Instagram page in May, with a caption describing the behind-the-scenes effort he had put in. According to that caption, it took him 186 GB of data to churn out that one single photo. Soon, people started sharing the photo and several news publications took notice. The rest as they say is history!

The viral 'mineral moon' clicked by Prathamesh

The viral ‘mineral moon’ clicked by Prathamesh

 

Space saga

Prathamesh says that his love for outer space was kindled by iconic pop culture media when he was a child. “It’s because of movies and shows like Star Wars and Star Trek that my love for space was born,” he says. “The technology shown in those movies always made me wonder about the vastness of space. We don’t know much about what’s beyond our solar system. That’s fascinating and terrifying at the same time!”

The young astronomer has his eyes set on galaxies and nebulae (clouds of dust and gas that are considered to be the birthplace of stars) next. He tells us, “I’ve clicked photos of almost all of the planets in our solar system except Mercury and Neptune. Mercury sets too early or rises around the same time as the Sun, so it’s hard to photograph it. But for my next project, I’m planning to go to the Spiti Valley in the Himalayas. This is where one can find the best and the darkest skies in the world.”

Prathamesh picks his three top photos!

Star of the family

Supporting his passion for all things universal are his parents. Prathamesh credits his father for encouraging him to join Jyotirvidya Parisanstha (JVP), India’s oldest astronomy club in Pune, at an early age.

“Listening to the sessions conducted by scientists at JVP further piqued my interest in astronomy. I can’t put it in words, but they were really instrumental in inspiring me.” 

How do his parents feel about the moon photo? “They’re proud!” Prathamesh shares. “They don’t quite understand all the intricacies about the process when I explain it to them, but the international recognition that’s poured in is making them really happy.” He adds, “Initially, they used to be worried since this hobby requires me to stay up late at night to capture the right shot. But now they’re okay!”

Astro advice

One interesting facet of Prathamesh’s approach to astrophotography is his firm belief that anyone can do it. “Nowadays, because of advancement in technology, you can pursue astrophotography even with your mobile phone. You can fiddle around with settings like long exposure and manual mode to adjust the shutter speed and get started,” he says. His piece of advice for beginners?

“Astrophotography is all about trial and error. To shoot pictures of the moon and planets you don’t need to travel to special locations. You can do it from home too. All you need is curiosity and some patience.”

Liked this? Read more here!

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About the Author


Deepthi is an ambivert who is on a steady diet of good food, filter coffee, and self-improvement. Being an ardent reader, storytelling has been her first love and she enjoys exploring how to convey stories compellingly. Having studied psychology and experienced the learning and development field, Deepthi is driven to understand human behavior and to know what makes each of us unique. You are most likely to find her tucked into a cozy corner at a local cafe with a Kindle or a book in hand. If you find her there, stop by and say hello, she'd be eager to learn your story too. Until then, you can ping her at storyweavers@byjus.com for anything you may like to share.

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Comments



D Srinidhi

June 10, 2021

Thankyou For Lovely Solar System Video Sir


Ankita Sen Gupta

June 10, 2021

I love to see moon in night sky


Ankita Sen Gupta

June 10, 2021

I love to see moon in night sky, when it’s clear.


D Srinidhi

June 10, 2021

Thank you for this lovely solar system video sir.


TADIVAKA PAVANA SRADDHA

June 10, 2021

Very interesting. Congratulations prathamesh sir for your discovery. Very good job sir. Don’t stop your discoveries and discover more. Thank you sir . And thank you byjus for making the students like us to get curious about these inventions. Thank you


Shubhra

June 10, 2021

Wow


Anshul jat

June 10, 2021

Wow moon thank you


Pratyush Mohapatra

June 10, 2021

Thanks


K.Saidheepak

June 10, 2021

Sir how to become a scientist at nasa as a astrophysicst


Taiyab

June 10, 2021

I wish to visit Mars and also to go nasa


Himika Bhakta

June 10, 2021

I love this he is really a STAR…
I also want to go to space one day…


SRIRAJ

June 10, 2021

I WANT TO GO TO THE MOON AFTER 10 YEARS PLEASE MAKE TO REACH THE MOON


Disha Kirti Pandey

June 10, 2021

Wow amazing


Reet Tiwary

June 10, 2021

Wow! The picture is just so beautiful! Being a space enthusiast myself, this picture was no less than a visual treat! Congratulations to Prathamesh Jaju!


Suyash

June 10, 2021

I also join


Roshan sharma

June 10, 2021

Byju’s help me to solve lots of questions


Kukku

June 10, 2021

Plz bring an astrophysicist


Dr Sunitha Gangadharaiah

June 10, 2021

I love byjus


Shreya Damodar

June 10, 2021

Great job actually well done


Shiya

June 10, 2021

Okay


Arpit Avinash Chavan

June 10, 2021

Thanks for astro advice


Madakam Ramprasad

June 10, 2021

Thanks sar


Rudraksh Soni

June 10, 2021

That was very amazing!!
The pictures are awesome ?


Roshni Pandey

June 10, 2021

Wow ! Keep it up ?.I am so glad for u ?. I also love to read about the planet and know about it & the interest comes when we take interest it any thing & have curiosity to know more about it that main thing is that .
Thank you ??.


Ankita

June 10, 2021

I love this video and lines


Bhrat

June 10, 2021

Wow!! What a pick of moon. This is the best pick ever.


Polisetty Preethi

June 10, 2021

Wow moon thank you


Ashitha

June 10, 2021

Thanku sir for this lovely solar system video


Aaisha

June 10, 2021

Thanx for information of solar system


Charmi

June 10, 2021

Excellent!!! Keep doing things like this and keep motivating others too


Pratibha borse

June 10, 2021

It’s really awesome. Thank you byju’s ??


Nehal Namdev

June 10, 2021

Wow amazing sir ? The picture is just too good.
Keep inspiring us?


Nehal Namdev

June 10, 2021

Wow amazing sir ? The picture is just too good.
Keep inspiring us?And thanku for the lovely video.


Haripriyasinha

June 10, 2021

Thank you for the lovely video


Shikha Singh

June 10, 2021

Very interesting ! Thanks for this video.
I also like to do photography but I haven’t think about to take the pictures of solar system but after going through this video I realised that is photography is not only just about to capturing the moment in our.
This video has inspired .
BYJU’S is a great online app which inspire me that anybody can do anything.


Akankshya p. Swain

June 10, 2021

I love to see new and amazing things of sky in another word I love to see night sky it was just awesome. If you ever get a chance to vist\go to sky! So don’t miss it up.


Aashvi

June 10, 2021

Its really amazing for learn about our solar system


Aditya Atul verma

June 10, 2021

This is very beautiful video & I was thanks to dear prathamesh
Moon photo is very clear .. it is so nice to look clear moon in nightsky,, CONGRATS DEAR PRATHAMESH ?


Priti roy

June 10, 2021

I love to watch moon ??


Yashika Gandass

June 10, 2021

What we need to do in this sir / Mam


Shreasth agrawal

June 10, 2021

Wow it was amazing. When I was seeing this I think that I am in space. Thank you for this video.


Vedhashree

June 10, 2021

Wow. The picture is Incredible. Prathamesh sir you have taken really amazing picture of the moon. I really like it. Keep it up Prathamesh sir.


Sridha Nidhi

June 10, 2021

It’s literally amazing to see the session like this….. because when you just come to the person or the effort behind your screen desktop. Yup….the moon the galaxy the universe is what fascinate me or even most of the people….but this boy is who take out the steps first..??….. it’s really amazing… heart warming…so all the best for all those who wanted to make yourself in this field…..hope we all together can explore whole universe one day…and then we will call it “ours day”.
Thanks


Madhura

June 10, 2021

Nice photos


Somnath jha

June 10, 2021

Thanks Prathamesh bro I am from a rural village and also I am curious to astrophysics. But there is lack of facility for me so I am preparing for IIT-JEE and I’m in class 12th now and this video give me a lot of motivation and confidence. Thanks team BYJU’S


Sahil A N

June 10, 2021

Wow! Nice sir


Aarush

June 10, 2021

Ok


Snigdha Ghosh

June 10, 2021

I love moon ? so much. And moon is my best friend. So thanks for the video.


Nandika

June 10, 2021

Unbelievable
Thank you so much for this information,
Geography personally is the most favourite subject of mine and it is literally that I have a dream of becoming a space scientist
Through this video now I know where I have to start
I saw this video on youtube but I thought it was of some other company and it must be untrue but now I know it is my own Byjus.
Regards,
your sincerely
Nandika


K. Bharath Krishna

June 10, 2021

It is so intresting to see the moon ??this is so thrilled thank you Byjus


Bhargav

June 10, 2021

Hi


Tahoora khatoon

June 10, 2021

Thankyou sir for give us a good knowledge about our moon…I am very thankful to you sir ..?


Sachika Meher

June 10, 2021

Great, this photos are so beautiful, and we all get to see a clear view of the moon, so thanks to the team of Byju’s


Mariya Joshy

June 10, 2021

This is my first knowledge of this. Thank you…. it is a motivational thought


Harshith

June 10, 2021

Fantastic job well done I understand thanks to you


Sivanarayan maniveli A

June 10, 2021

I love solar system and thanks for the
Video. Congratulations to prathamesh jaju


Bhumika Nikam

June 10, 2021

Awesome ! Great work Prathamesh sir and congratulations for your discovery .


Rakesh Singh Patel

June 10, 2021

The nice thing that all should learn from him….


Ditipriya Roychowdhury

June 10, 2021

Excellent talents can only be born in India


Mehnaz Parveen

June 10, 2021

I love moons, my Dream is to go on the moon, that why Byjus is amazing???


Jayna

June 10, 2021

How’d he capture that? Cuz I’ve seen a vid on YouTube where the latest model of the camera took only a blurred part of moon, it wasn’t clear. That’s really great tho .. can anyone let me know how to take photo of a moon???


MONISHA SARKAR

June 10, 2021

Thanks for aditional knowledge


Krithi C Bangera

June 11, 2021

wow!! it is very nice these things give more inspiration in our life too
Thank you so much


Gaurav kumar

June 11, 2021

No comments


Aaryan

June 11, 2021

Thank you sir


Sanshita

June 11, 2021

Wow,what the nice video.


Vaibhavi yadav

June 11, 2021

I like this video ?
Thank u Prathamesh sir for sharing your discovery to us.


Sakshi Jogdand

June 11, 2021

Woooow! it inspires me towards astronomy.


Madhusri?

June 11, 2021

I love night se full moon?
Thank you very much ?


Raju Kumar

June 11, 2021

Wow! Keep it up ?.
That was very amazing.


ananya

June 11, 2021

in this photo we all can see the beautiful moon and it’s clear. Thank u for the photo.


Madhusri?

June 11, 2021

I love moon ??


Avantika singh

June 11, 2021

I like it


Rehansh

June 11, 2021

Can I meet with byjus teacher s


Yatharth

June 11, 2021

That was very awesome??


Arpan sah

June 11, 2021

I like to see space


Madhusri?

June 11, 2021

I am Like moon??


Samarth Giri

June 11, 2021

Amazing It is very beautiful pic of moon keep it up thanks to astro photographer prathmesh jagu to show us a clear and amazing picture of moon


Nirgude Jatin

June 11, 2021

I love to know the advancers things that happen in the universe


Harshal

June 11, 2021

Very good nice to meet you


Madhusri?

June 11, 2021

I like it moon at night sky??
Like this video thank you very much??


Mihika Kaushik

June 11, 2021

Loved it, so beautiful ?


Mrunali

June 11, 2021

I want to go to the moon after 10 years please make to reach the moon all my friends and teachers.


Gungun

June 11, 2021

I like the solar system planet the real planet ,galaxies l also like astrology


Madhusri?

June 11, 2021

I like seen moon night time 9:00??
I like this video thank you very much ??


Arsalan Arshad Siddiqui

June 11, 2021

Congrats sir on taking the crystal clear picture of the moon. It looks so beautiful and nice. It is my dream to become a space scientist one day and study the mysteries around the universe.This picture of the moon is a piece of your hardwork. Keep taking pictures like this and never give up in life. Once again congragulations ?.


Khushi kumari

June 11, 2021

What subject


Madhusri?

June 11, 2021

I like see night time 9:00??
I like this video thank you very much ??


Rishika poonia

June 11, 2021

Thank you for lovely solar system
Video sir


Mahathi Muthu

June 11, 2021

Thank you so much Prathamesh for the information which you gave in the video about astrophotography and the mineral pic of the moon was really so awesome??????


Ridhi srivastav

June 11, 2021

Awesome video ….wow
Full of knowledge and interesting tooo


Sachi purbey

June 11, 2021

Thanks for this video it is amazing


Bhavya khichar

June 11, 2021

Amazing discovery


Aditya

June 11, 2021

……… Marvellous photo has taken ………..?????


Omisha Choudhary

June 11, 2021

Awesome work


Somya Sharma

June 11, 2021

Good


Shruti Bharti

June 11, 2021

Wow!!the picture is just amazing .Thanks Byju’s for giving such amazing knowledge about this .thnqq so much


Rohini Pandey

June 11, 2021

I love to see the moon.????
Congratulations Prathamesh Jaju ?????????


Madhusri?

June 11, 2021

I like see moon night time 9:00??
I like this video thank you very much ??


Vaibhavi

June 11, 2021

Cool!????


Abhay thorat

June 11, 2021

It was very nice so interesting and best of luck to pratmesh dada ? ?


Swarnaprava Nayak

June 11, 2021

I love to look at the sky at night time and on the day when there is a full moon, there is something different fun in seeing that moon.Truly, God’s creation is so beautiful, but for science, we can see all this and we can read about it.keep inspiring us sir, Congratulations Prathamesh sir for your discovery. Thank you.


Kakku Veeran

June 11, 2021

Hi


Ishank

June 11, 2021

My dreem is
Go to moon and make a history


Aditri Dev Pandey

June 11, 2021

Wow !
Amazing!
Adorable!
Diligent!
Sleek!
Lovely!
Really now l don’t have adjectives to appreciate the picks.
Thank u byjus


Aditri Dev Pandey

June 11, 2021

Wow !
Amazing!
Adorable!
Diligent!
Sleek!
Lovely!
Really now l don’t have adjectives to appreciate the picks.
Thank u byjus
And congratulations for your great discovery.


Sufiyan

June 11, 2021

Thank you


Raghav

June 11, 2021

I love moon


Rohit Sharma

June 11, 2021

This Is So Lovely And This Is Interesting Sir


Mayuri Laxman Dhanak

June 11, 2021

I was not aware of this boy . Thankyou team byjus to make me aware of it .


Shivani.vadla

June 11, 2021

I love solar system sir


Garima Sharma

June 11, 2021

Thankyou very much our teacher s for giving us this amazing information.


SHAIVEE SHARMA

June 11, 2021

Wow this is amazing ??


Babu

June 11, 2021

Great


Ishmam Mehnaz

June 11, 2021

Wow really great job I was word less by seeing the beautiful photo . Really great job sir pls don’t stop discovering . I was fascinated with astronomy but now I am more interested in this. Don’t stop discovering ??????


anjali Kushwaha

June 11, 2021

Thank you for this lovely solar system video sir.


B.Kaviya

June 11, 2021

I love the solar system thank you for giving the lovely video


Shreshth Sharma

June 11, 2021

Thanks for the lovely solar system pictures too good sir??


Shree Gowri

June 11, 2021

I love to see moon in night sky ??? thank you .


Samson liju

June 11, 2021

Amazing


Abhijeet

June 11, 2021

Sir the picture and the video of the moon is wonderful
And I also want to shoot these kinds of beautiful pictures


Hemaa Shivani.S

June 11, 2021

I love the moon.this is the most beautiful and amazing image l have ever seen.lt even came in the newspapers. I love the three images
?????


M.V.SAMYUKTHA

June 12, 2021

Thank you for these beautiful pic sir


Akash Dutta

June 12, 2021

I love to see the moon, stars, and other things like Lunar eclipse in the night sky. I have searched these types of photos and vedios in internet many time.


Vikram jit Singh

June 12, 2021

Very valuable and I got more extra knowledge in this video thank you


B. Vutthista

June 12, 2021

I always want to see moon close


Md Farhan Ali

June 12, 2021

Wow I love solar system and I love byju’s because they show with practical experience we can understand very quickly thanks a lot byju’s sir or mam


Farheen unnisa begum

June 12, 2021

I love it i want to learn about moon


Japjot Kaur

June 12, 2021

I love to see moon in the night sky


Jasveen

June 12, 2021

Awesome


Dhaani Priya

June 12, 2021

Thanks


Rithika

June 12, 2021

Wow!?


Pranathi

June 12, 2021

It was so beautiful bro


Pranathi

June 12, 2021

It is so beautiful bro


Hasnain Ansari

June 12, 2021

If I go to Kashmir I I will see a clear picture of a moon


Hasnain Ansari

June 12, 2021

If I go to Kashmir I I will see a clear picture of a moon of a full moon


Fardeen Ansari

June 12, 2021

His work is amazing and inspiring ?.


Harshita Singh

June 12, 2021

It was very proud of that boy infact everyone should be proud I hope I also do some type of this work


Riyan

June 13, 2021

Hlo


Shaurya kadam

June 13, 2021

It is so beautiful ??


Pradhitya

June 13, 2021

Interesting!!!!


Soham

June 13, 2021

Very nice


Sai Pranuth

June 13, 2021

Thanks Byjus’s for the information


Alina Khan

June 13, 2021

Congratulations Prathamesh sir ??.You have done a very great job.Thankyou byju’s for giving us this information.I’m also interested to know about solar system.


Sandesh. P

June 13, 2021

WOW! Fantastic job. Thank you for this amazing job.


V.Kushal

June 13, 2021

WOW IT IS SO AMAZING I LOVE TO SEE THE MOON IN THE NIGHT CLEAR SKY


Pranathi

June 13, 2021

Wow


Shakti yavvari

June 13, 2021

Thankyou For Lovely Solar System Video Sir


Geetika Goyal

June 14, 2021

Thank you for this lovely solar system video sir


Harsh

June 14, 2021

Hii


Angel Kumari

June 14, 2021

Thanks sir for BYJU’S classes


Jasmine Kaur

June 14, 2021

Thnk u for lovely solar system video sir.. WOW!!!


Archit

June 14, 2021

Wow!!!


Dolly Malviya

June 14, 2021

Nice and thanks , the information of moon I,am loving to the solar system , galaxy .And congratulations Prathamesh Jaju so nice confidence.


Mayank

June 14, 2021

I want to see moon


Shrutika lachankar

June 14, 2021

Amazing pics its was really appreciable ???loved it


Shagun Jangra

June 14, 2021

Thank you for lovely solar system video sir thank you sir


Aparna Singh

June 14, 2021

Thank you byju’s


Bhumika

June 14, 2021

It was amazing , I was amazed.
I have read this while reading I got lost in it .
I love these photos


A.R.Yashvika

June 14, 2021

Amazing ?? got good motivation ?


Mohammad Sadiq Ahamed

June 14, 2021

Wow amazing photos of moon and Milky way galaxy


Shamyutha

June 15, 2021

Did he took the images from the telescope?


Aswathi

June 15, 2021

Nice


Shobhit shah

June 15, 2021

It’s amazing ?


jayant rao

June 15, 2021

i want to go on mars without doing any pollution at any where


Thanushree

June 15, 2021

It’s ur beautiful attempt and super for u r patience and I am happy to see moon and solar system video sir


Chidanand

June 15, 2021

Thanks Prathamesh Jaju and Ashwin sir


Priyanshu kalasua

June 16, 2021

Very nice sir thank you
I like the video


Sahasra

June 16, 2021

It was so lovely to see moon thank you sir


Aishika Ghosh

June 16, 2021

I was very happy to see the nice video. As my aim in life is to become a scientist, that’s why l love watching these types of videos. Thank you sir. Only for you l had an opportunity to view the nice video. Hope your next video or article will also make me feel amazing.


Aayush jha

June 16, 2021

I love to see night sky moon


Sadiya Parveen

June 16, 2021

I love see moon a night sky ??


Aditya Kumar shukla

June 17, 2021

Please teach me ok


Savarnnaa Jena

June 17, 2021

Wow ,it’s so beautiful.


Aditya Battellu

June 17, 2021

Hi nice


Aditya Battellu

June 17, 2021

Nice


Parvesh

June 17, 2021

It was superb


Hanshika saini

June 18, 2021

Thanks sir for this beautiful video of solar system thanks a lot .??


Kinjal Mukesh Gupta

June 19, 2021

Thanks so much for this video sir
It is very interesting ??


Debjit Das

June 23, 2021

Hi


Debjit Das

June 23, 2021

THANKS A LOT SIR FOR TACH US THE SOLAR SYSTEM


Debjit Das

June 23, 2021

Thank you Sir


S.yoga prasanna

June 23, 2021

Wow super ! It is very amazing


Tanisha

June 25, 2021

It was lovely journey of the space photos I m too interested in space and clicking it’s photos is too my passion


Jaipreet Singh

June 26, 2021

All subjects


Anushka

June 28, 2021

Thanks sir to teach us about solar system thanks a lot..


Sreya Gupta

June 28, 2021

Nic to meet you


Zalak joshi

July 1, 2021

So nice photography it is amazing pictures of moon thank you keep it uo


Vaibhav

July 3, 2021

I love solar system
I like byjus


Aheli Sengupta

July 17, 2021

I love see moon in the sky , or when i grew up i became a asteroid to see the beautiful solar system. I wish to go.


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