
Nowruz and the Night Sky
For 300 million people around the world, the vernal equinox marks the New Year. It’s a moment to link past and present and—according to National Geographic photographer Babak Tafreshi—what this halfway point means about our place in the universe.
Overheard at National Geographic
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Show Notes
Not everyone celebrates the New Year in the middle of winter; for 300 million people around the world, their New Year begins at the moment of the vernal equinox. The holiday of Nowruz celebrates that “new day” by encouraging us to make poetic connections between life and death, and past and present. National Geographic photographer Babak Tafreshi reacquaints us with the shimmering origins of this ancient Persian holiday; they are above our heads, shining in the night sky.
For more information on this episode, visit nationalgeographic.com/overheard.
Want more?
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For subscribers:
Learn more about how light pollution is affecting our planet through images that Tafreshi captured.
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