{"id":12034,"date":"2016-01-06T19:16:59","date_gmt":"2016-01-07T00:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=12034"},"modified":"2021-10-05T12:18:22","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T16:18:22","slug":"afghan-astronomy-fans-take-big-risks-to-view-the-night-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=12034","title":{"rendered":"Afghan astronomy fans take big risks to view the night sky"},"content":{"rendered":"

While\u00a0astronomy enthusiasts in many\u00a0countries complain about inconveniences\u00a0such as\u00a0light pollution and cloudy weather, the members of the\u00a0Afghanistan Astronomy Association<\/a>\u00a0must overcome\u00a0truly dangerous challenges to view the night sky with their telescopes:\u00a0Amateur Afghan Astronomy Is Risky Business – Newsweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Afghanistan\u2019s war has taken a devastating toll on civilians: death, displacement, poverty. But it also affects lives in unexpected ways. For the country\u2019s small band of amateur astronomers, exploring the universe\u2019s deepest corners is a risk they now rarely take. The increasing encroachment of the Taliban, criminal gangs and aggressive police checkpoints means they now limit observations to the outskirts of Kabul city or their rooftops. \u201cThe places where there are the darkest skies, almost all those places are insecure,\u201d says Ibrahim Amiri, 26, one of the youngest members of the Afghanistan Astronomy Association.<\/em><\/p>\n

His eyes shine as he describes the high altitude and low light pollution of Badakhshan in the north and the open horizons of Kandahar in the south, both perfect regions for stargazing. \u201cBut we could be attacked by anyone [there]. Not just Taliban or ISIS, but even the local people,\u201d he explains. \u201cAfghans, especially villagers, are usually not very comfortable with people they don\u2019t know or things they don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

[]
\n<\/a>Yunos Bakshi standing with one of his telescopes in Kabul, Afghanistan. <\/em>
\nBakshi is the founder of Afghanistan’s first Astronomy Association. <\/em>
\nImage by Jeffrey E. Stern. Afghanistan, 2013.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While\u00a0astronomy enthusiasts in many\u00a0countries complain about inconveniences\u00a0such as\u00a0light pollution and cloudy weather, the members of the\u00a0Afghanistan Astronomy Association\u00a0must overcome\u00a0truly dangerous challenges to view the night sky with their telescopes:\u00a0Amateur Afghan Astronomy Is Risky Business – Newsweek. Afghanistan\u2019s war has taken a devastating toll on civilians: death, displacement, poverty. But it also affects lives in unexpected … Continue reading Afghan astronomy fans take big risks to view the night sky<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-astronomy","category-space-participation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-386","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27667,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=27667","url_meta":{"origin":12034,"position":0},"title":"Night sky highlights for November 2025","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Check out the night sky this month, November 2025. 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