The Karolinska Institute today announced that American planetary scientist Carolyn Porco and Iranian photographer and

science journalist Babak A. Tafreshi are the recipients of the 2009 Lennart Nilsson Award, in recognition of their extraordinary photographic work. The prize is the world’s most

prestigious distinction in scientific and medical photography.

The panel said, of the Iranian photographer, “Babak A. Tafreshi’s photographs reclaim a night sky that most modern

people have lost. He takes us to remote places where the stars still

look like they did at the dawn of mankind. His work calls to mind the

beauty of the universe and human life on our planet.”

The award ceremony will be held in the Berwald Hall in Stockholm on October 28, to coincide with Karolinska Institute’s installation ceremony

for new professors. Lennart Nilsson himself will also attend the

festivities.

Today I’d like to share with you some of Tafreshi’s work. I hope that you will take time to lose yourself in his sweeping images. I encourage you to click on the photos, which will enlarge them. If you place your cursor over each photo, you should also be able to see its title/location.