Nezar Hezam Sallam was seven years old when he saw his first shooting star.
The chance sighting sparked an obsession with astronomy which has led the Abu Dhabi Police computer engineer, now 31, to spend Dh750,000 (US$204,185) on stargazing over the years.
The costly venture includes a custom-built mobile observatory, which he uses to educate people about the stars for free.
After seeing the meteor, he started reading books on astronomy and studying the night sky through binoculars. "I remember the first time I looked at the moon. It changed my life forever," he says.
He bought his first professional telescope in 1998. It cost Dh1,500 - a sizeable chunk of his Dh4,000 first monthly salary with Abu Dhabi Police.
"In 1998 I wasn't familiar with the planet Saturn yet. I was opposite the Hilton on Abu Dhabi Corniche. I saw a bright star. I moved the telescope to it and it turned out to be the planet Saturn," says Mr Sallam, who is originally from Yemen but has lived in the UAE for most of his life.
"At first I didn't believe it. Then I saw something in the middle. I was so excited. I felt like I had made an achievement, that I had discovered something," he says.
He now owns 77 telescopes in all - the biggest of which cost Dh120,000 and allows him to see 30,000 light years into space. He spends about 90 per cent of his salary on his hobby.
"My wife supports me in this project. Before [our marriage] I spoke to her father. I [told him] astronomy is my life. I will never give it up or forget about it. He told me 'It's OK. It's up to you,'" he says.
"When I talked to her I said the same thing and she said 'No problem. Maybe I can support you if you want.' And she did. I'm so lucky. I love her so much. She knows this is my life and my dream," he says.
His obsession stretches to science in general. He has built four robots for Abu Dhabi Police that relay messages to children about road safety.
He also designed every feature of the mobile observatory himself, transforming an ordinary Chevrolet Silverado into a stargazing van complete with computer and TV screens, as well as a motorised mount to hold his vast array of telescopes and a hydraulic stand to keep the van steady.
"I am really proud of this because nobody helped me," he adds.
To help provide the energy his contraptions use, he installed solar panels and a wind turbine. He has also attached a carbon filter to the van's exhaust.
Mr Sallam's aim is to inspire the next generation to recreate a golden age of Arab civilisation, when important advances were made by scientists from the region. But he sometimes struggles to inspire others with his mission.
"Some people, most, think I'm crazy and I'm wasting my time and wasting my money. They want to go out to chatting to girls, shisha smoking, to malls, and to the cinema. I enjoy my life with my wife," he says.
He hopes to one day build an observatory in the desert.
"I want to make a big discovery that the world will speak about. I will be like Galileo Galilei or Copernicus ... why not?"
For now, he says, he is happy educating people. And he does so free of charge.
"I feel shy asking people for money. But sometimes they kill my equipment. I say please don't touch and they touch and break it.
"Sometimes people take something with them. Sometimes there is a problem with the road and something breaks," says Mr Sallam.
"But I don't care. I am the luckiest person in the world with everything that I have."
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