Stargazing in Aleppo

[Siriusmeg]

Just listened to an interview on radio 4 iPM programme, with a teacher from Aleppo who has been making regular reports regarding the conflicts there. This was the most moving and most humane description of the night sky that I have ever heard: to summarise, they played one of his reports from the war zone where he described the lights of the city going out as these locations were targeted for bombing and shooting, until the city was black and the only lights left were the stars. He said "My city used to be beautiful, now it is just the sky that is beautiful. When I cannot sleep through fear of dreams or fear that I might not wake up again, I look at the beauty of the sky." Now he is in a much safer location, and is teaching his baby daughter to speak English: the first words he taught her were 'moon' and 'sky'.

My clumsy words don't do justice to the power of this piece of reporting - the programme is still on air but will hopefully be on iPlayer radio afterwards,really worth listening to. I will think of him and his baby daughter the next time I look up at that same night sky.

[Stargazer McCabe]

Thank you for the heads up. It is available now... Just got hold of it. Appreciate the tip...

[andrew63]

Thank you.

andrew