Cosmic Explorer

About Babak Tafreshi

Many lightyears away are the stars of the Milky Way, but their magic is within reach thanks to the skilled and talented photographer, Babak Tafreshi. His photos give every art and star gazer a spectacular view into space. He captures the… Read more

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Many lightyears away are the stars of the Milky Way, but their magic is within reach thanks to the skilled and talented photographer, Babak Tafreshi. His photos give every art and star gazer a spectacular view into space. He captures the beauty of the galaxy together with peaceful landscapes. This staging brings the infinity of cosmic dimensions and merges it with the familiarity of earthly dimensions. His creations unite us with a very profound and special beauty, where we meet the stars on a personal level. His work combines science and art, heaven and earth. In this modern, urban life we sometimes feel that all attachment to the starry night sky has been lost, but Tafreshi’s work connects us once again.

To create these photographs Tafreshi must travel. The stars shine brightest in areas far from the city and its artificial lighting. For him to capture the splendor of the night sky in its entirety, he needs remote locations with minimal light pollution. He goes to regions that are difficult to access, where there are hardly any people, but plenty of observatories. This has taken him to places like the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile.

It all began in Tehran, when Babak Tafreshi was only 13 years old and borrowed a telescope from his neighbor to gaze at the moon. He was immediately fascinated. Suddenly, the universe revealed itself to him and it left Tafreshi wanting to learn more. Today, Tafreshi can look back at a long career in astronomy, media, and art. For more than ten years he appeared regularly on Iranian television to educate viewers on outer space and its wonders. He was even the editor of the Iranian Astronomy Magazine. For several years now, his work has been published in popular journals like the National Geographic, but its also been included in prestigious science magazines like the Sky&Telescope. His book The World at Night is a compilation of breathtaking photographs that build compositions out of the night sky, landscape, and unique architecture. The book was so successful that it has already been translated into several languages. In 2009, Tafreshi won the Lennart Nilsson Prize for scientific photography.
 
Quote: “The night sky is my second home”