Alenush Terian by a telescope

The photograph shows Alenush Terian, one of the founding figures of Iranian astronomy and physics. She stands in front of a large telescope, wearing a white turtleneck sweater and a sleeveless fur vest.

Alenush Terian was born on 9 November 1920 in Tehran. She has been called the mother of Iranian astronomy. She was a co-founder of a solar observatory and in 1964 became Iran’s first woman professor of physics. She devoted her whole life to science and to her students.