| The Sun sets over distant hills and the sky takes on sunset hues as the telescopes are brought out to meet the night. Talk of the night ahead breaks the silence at this remote location in the desert,
a refuge from the lights of the cities . Amateurs have done the same for many years. But this
place is different. Desert caravans have passed this site on the Silk Road -- under a canopy of
stars -- for centuries. This building has been a way station for those travelers for 1000 years.
Now the roof of this ancient caravansara is dotted with telescopes that will soon scan those
ancient stars for objects Charles Messier listed some 800 years after the first camels were
watered at this place. An ancient palace in Desert National Park, this is one of the choice dark
sky observing sites used by amateur astronomers in the Islamic Republic of Iran. |
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This is one of many places my wife, Sherri, and I will visit during this return trip to Iran. Our first visit was in 1999 when we braved the summer heat to observe a total solar eclipse. We
found a country with diversity and contrasts we had never imagined and we have stayed in touch
with the Iranian friends and fellow astronomers we met then. Far from simply barren desert, Iran
is a country of geographical diversity that rivals our home state of California, with rain forests in
the north by the Caspian Sea, mountains rising to 18,000 feet within sight of the capital city of
Tehran and hot, humid seashore along the Persian Gulf. We were also stunned by a cultural
diversity that rivals any place on Earth. A crossroads between Asia, Europe and Africa, this area
has seen migrations and invasions from every direction for millennia. From Alexander the Great
to Genghis Khan, at some time most came through ancient Persia, as the outside world referred to Iran
for 2500 years up to the early 20th century when the first Pahlavi shah insisted that the proper name
be used. The cultures of all --
migrants and invaders alike -- have been incorporated into the cultural mix that is present-day
Iran. The evidence is everywhere, from 2500 year old ruins to the faces, languages and traditions
of its people. Modern-day inter-city travelers relaxing in air-conditioned comfort rush by the
tents and animal herds of nomadic tribes slowly making their way to seasonal pastureland.
Ancient and new, traditional and modern, holding onto its rich past and reaching out to new
ideas, Iran is a place of contrasts, contradictions and complexities. |
| Star trails over the ancient fire temple at Niasar. |
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Iranians see the world differently than this American traveler does, shaped as they are by an
environment so different from the one I know. But the travelers that glanced upward to the night
sky 2500 years ago saw the same sky that presents itself to the young amateurs gathered here
with their telescopes today. And that sky is identical to the one I see from my Southern
California home. Astronomy is basic to many traditions in Iran. That may have been true for all
cultures at one time but many -- such as my own -- have largely lost that connection. From the
year of the ancient Persian solar calendar that begins with the Sun crossing the celestial equator
on its way north (the vernal equinox) to the shifting months of the lunar Islamic calendar, the
motions of the celestial bodies still have a place in the Persian identity. There is more than just
tradition, though, and the young people of Iran (half the population is under 25 years old) are
thirsty for knowledge of modern science. The Persian soul is also poetic, and the beauty and
mystery of nature and the heavens are an integral part of the Persian viewpoint. |
| The stars of Orion rising over an a desert observing site. |
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During our travels we’ll meet amateur astronomers in several Iranian cities and towns, attend an
astronomy conference in Tehran and see observatories and science education facilities. We’ll
visit a high school class that is set to participate in US-based international educational programs
and reaching out to students in the western world. At the conference, I’ll be leading live
interviews with astronomers as they observe at famous observatories in the US. What questions
will be asked by the amateurs of this country where the largest telescope -- a 20-inch reflector --
is smaller than many amateur instruments in the US? Attendees will also have the chance to
remotely operate a telescope at an observatory in the US. We’ll also explore the natural,
historical and cultural wonders of Iran. And there will be plenty of time for discussions with
friends during our travels -- a physics professor struggling to improve science education, the
young and mostly volunteer staff of the only astronomy magazine in the Middle East, a lone
amateur astronomer following in John Dobson’s footsteps on the sidewalks of Tehran, students
following their passion for astronomy in a country where future prospects in their chosen field
are dim, an archaeologist who looks up from his diggings to see the sky through the eyes of
ancient astronomers. These are the stories of astronomy in Iran. |
| Iranians view a solar eclipse through the author's spotting scope during his first visit to Iran in 1999. |