Event details

The World at Night Photography: Revealing the wonders of natural nights and the global impact of light pollution

Night hides a world but reveals a universe. Through this lens the world's landmarks connect to celestial wonders, science meets art, and astrophotography contributes to nature conservation. This work aims to increase public awareness on values of the natural night environment and how to preserve it from our growing light pollution. The night-time face of Earth has changed in the past century. The habitat and behavior of many nocturnal species are largely impacted by our artificial lights. This adventurous journey explores stories around the world and take a deeper look to the Persian Gulf at night in particular.


Babak Tafreshi is an Iranian-American photojournalist and night sky explorer for the National Geographic who merges art and science through visual stories. Since 1990s, he has documented night scenes in all continents, in stills, videos, and 360 immersive media. His night sky imagery aims to reconnect humanity with the natural world, to reveal the wonders of science to public, and to connect cultures through common interest to the night sky. He created The World at Night (TWAN) program in 2007 and has been directing a growing team of photographers in about 25 countries. His current project, Life at Night Atlas, reveals the values of natural dark nights and the global impact of light pollution on biodiversity.

He received the 2009 Lennart Nilsson Award, the 2022 Royal Photography Society Award, and a National Geographic Society Wayfinder Award in 2022. The International Astronomical Union has named the minor planet 276163, after Tafreshi. @babaktafreshi | babaktafreshi.com

Register for this event: https://cipgs.princeton.edu/events/world-night-photography