REACHING FOR THE STARS: Iraq’s first female-led astronomy club

By Sarah al-Qaher in Baghdad

As a child, Iraqi woman Samah Falah was captivated by the sky above her. “I loved staring at the stars while lying on the roof, listening to my mother’s stories,” she says. “As I grew older, my fascination with astronomy only deepened. However there were few opportunities to join institutions in this field.”

Which is why, in 2023, Falah eventually created her own team of star gazers, the Dar Al Salam Astronomy Team. It is the first and only astronomy group in Iraq run by a young woman. The group, which includes members of various ages, is officially registered with Iraq’s federal Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Since then the Dar Al Salam Astronomy Team has held over 150 activities and events, including astronomy camps. They were awarded membership in the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences and have represented Iraq at international events in the UAE, Algeria, Jordan and Tunisia.

“We’ve grown rapidly and I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Falah says.

The group’s goal is to inspire a love of astronomy among other Iraqis and they do this with activities like telescopic observations of planetary bodies, the tracking of astronomical events like eclipses and comets, and lectures, workshops and competitions.

“My team and I frequently visit libraries to expand our knowledge and stay updated on the latest astronomical news,” Falah explains. “We eagerly await rare planetary phenomena so we can observe them.”

The Ministry of Youth and Sports also hosts astronomy evenings and these often draw many youngsters — but they’re mostly boys.

Falah and her team also organize events. The latest one took place in mid-January and although there was an unexpected power outage, they managed to take pictures of the sky.

“A family approached me that evening and asked if their children could see the moon and planets through my telescope,” Falah recounts. “Moments later one of the children excitedly shouted, ‘come look at the moon, I can see it clearly!’ I was so happy to see the joy in their eyes,” she adds.

Falah has also set up a group for younger people, aged under 15, called Astronomers of the Future.

“I’m just amazed at how many young people are eager to learn about this,” she notes.

Despite her team’s achievements, Falah’s group and others like it must deal with a number of challenges, including funding.

“Aside from moral support from the Ministry [of Youth and Sport], we fund everything ourselves,” she explained. Falah says she personally put money into buying the team’s three telescopes, which are worth around US$19,000.

Despite these obstacles, Falah remains optimistic and would love to see more interested parties supporting their endeavor.

“This is a childhood passion,” Falah concludes, “and I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved so far. We will continue to grow and we will inspire others.”

This story is part of a series of articles supported by the “Qarib” program, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by the French Agency for Media Development (CFI).