an astronomy club for young people and trying to build an observatory . “ I stayed many days in Mr . Kabiri ’ s house and one night Sepideh and a small group of friends came to his house on their way going stargazing . I followed them and observed how ambitious Sepideh seemed to be , carrying around her small telescope to get the right spots to observe the sky .” Madsen said . “ I was really curious to know how it was possible for her — at this point only 14 years old — to leave her house in these late hours to go out in the freezing night and what she was up to . Even though I knew Iran before coming to Saadat Shahr for the first time and know that it ’ s a much more complex country than it is most often portrayed in the global media , this is really not what you expect a young Iranian girl to do .” The following day , Madsen visited Sepideh and her family at their home . Posters of Albert Einstein adorned the walls of Sepideh ’ s room , and she spoke of a promise she had made to her late father about becoming an astronomer . “ Upon getting these first insights into her dreams and background , I knew that I wanted to make a film about her ,” she said . “ I wanted to follow her to see how she would make these huge dreams come true ; what would happen when her childhood dreams met reality .” When viewers of Madsen ’ s film first meet Sepideh , we hear her sure footsteps crunching through the rocks
COURTESY OF Berit Madsen
Documentarian Berit Madsen poses with Sepideh Hooshyar at the Fajr Film Festival in 2014 . The film had its Iranian premiere during the event .
COURTESY OF Mohammad Reza Jahan Panah
In a still from the documentary , Sepideh Hooshyar visits with Asghar Kabiri , a physics teacher who leads the local astronomy club . as she trudges up a hillside grasping her precious telescope tightly to her heart . This image is a perfect introduction to the challenges that lie ahead and the determination she has to meet them . Madsen herself faced uncertainties while making the film . “ It ’ s a challenge to make a
Sky ’ s Up 17
Ring master
Drive to discover fuels Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker
By PATRICIA SMITH
Sky’s Up staff writer
It’s easy for Linda Spilker to recall the
moment she became infatuated with
planets.
As a third-grader, she got her first
telescope, tilted it toward Jupiter
and watched in awe as the eyepiece
revealed several tiny moons marching
by the giant planet.
In that instant, she was hooked on
astronomy.
“I read all the books I could find
Want to learn more about the
Cassini Mission and what comes next?
Check out our interview with
Dr. Linda Spilker by clicking here.
on stars and planets and even visited
Palomar observatory when I was in
high school. When they finally built
a big telescope on the backside of the
moon, as an astronaut/astronomer I
would be ready to go there and use it.”
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