Stargazing in Iran

Hi everybody,



Just picked this off Yahoo.





By Christian Oliver Fri Oct 14, 8:41 AM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - People in the southern Iranian town of Saadat Shahr make
sure not to miss Friday prayers.


How else will they get the imam's comprehensive update on which stars,
nebulae and meteor showers will burn brightest in the following week's night
sky?

Saadat Shahr, 390 miles south of Tehran, has gone stargazing-crazy,
reflecting a national passion that has seen new members flocking to
astronomy clubs across the Islamic Republic to devour information about what
lies above.

Women in Saadat Shahr have even sold their jewelry to help science teacher
Asghar Kabiri realize his dream of building an observatory.

"School janitors and teachers all paid a small share of their salaries to
help build the observatory. Now it has become the pride of the town," Kabiri
told Reuters by telephone.

"Astronomy is a divine science and is encouraged in Islam. So in a small,
traditional community like Saadat Shahr, people contribute to our activities
just as they would chip in to build a mosque," he added.

The Koran often cites natural and celestial phenomena as proofs for the
existence of God. The imam in Saadat Shahr has tuned into the local
obsession and uses the weekly prayers to talk about what's coming up in the
skies during the days ahead.

"The townspeople even allow their daughters to stay out at night if they
know they are going stargazing," Kabiri said.

In rural

Iran, many people still respect the strict Islamic code which encourages
segregation of the sexes and obliges women to cover their hair and wear
long, loose-fitting dresses.

There is further proof of the extraordinary importance of stargazing in
Saadat Shahr: If there is some important astronomy to be done, Kabiri just
gets the authorities to cut the town's electricity -- all the better to see
the skies.

ESCAPE TO THE STARS

Babak Tafreshi, editor of the Nojum astronomy magazine, has noticed
subscriptions increasing and amateur clubs attracting more members. At the
time of eclipses and shuttle launches, Nojum will run off 10,000 copies.

Tafreshi's television show has the highest viewer figures on Iran's Channel
Four and he is sometimes approached by fans on the streets of Tehran.

"They say they like the show because it is not connected with any problems
in society, politics or religion," he said.

Nojum was deluged with telephone calls last year when panicky Tehranis,
observing the peculiar position of Venus, feared a flying saucer was
prowling overhead.

U.S. amateur astronomer Mike Simmons, a regular visitor to Iran, said
astronomy had a strong historical resonance for Iranians.

"They meet at historical sites. Iranians feel strongly connected to their
past and I have noticed they sense that connection ... through astronomy,"
he said.

Tafreshi said there was a profound sense of this continuity among amateurs
who meet at the observatory in northeastern Nishapur, home to the medieval
poet and astronomer Omar Khayyam.

But despite this fascination with the past, most of Iran's astronomers are
the faces of the futu They have an average age of 19 and are 60 percent
female, Tafreshi said, adding that the mingling of young men and women on
nocturnal outings was one of the few things that could get astronomy clubs
into trouble.

"In the United States most astronomers are middle-aged and very few are
women," Simmons said.

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT

Some 30 of Iran's enthusiastic young female astronomers gathered in the
silver dome of the Zafaranieh Observatory in northern Tehran to identify
lunar craters.

Fariba Yazdani, director of the observatory, said each week up to 280 young
people would voluntarily come to observatory classes, both theoretical and
practical.

"They tend to be very gifted children," she said. "The ones for whom books
are not enough, the ones who need a glimpse of the infinite."

The girls noisily jostled for a look through the telescope. Much of their
banter hinged on the double meaning of the Persian word "moon," which also
poetically refers to a beautiful girl.

"I cannot see a thing. Where is the moon?" said one girl, squinting through
the telescope.

"I think you will find she is right here," said another haughtily,
unleashing a wave of titters.

Arezu Khani, 17, said she was addicted.

"It is about more than just observing. The more you learn about the theory
just makes you even more curious."

(Additional reporting by Alireza Ronaghi)