Worldwide Astronomical Community Expresses Sympathy for September 11th Tragedy

By: The Editors of Sky & Telescope June 25, 2004 0

The area of devastation in lower Manhattan was captured from space by the Ikonos satellite on September 15th, four days after a terrorist attack led to the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center and several adjacent buildings. Courtesy spaceimaging.com; visit Web site for other images of New York and the Pentagon. Click on image for larger view.

Courtesy spaceimaging.com

Sky & Telescope has been flooded with messages
from across the globe expressing sorrow, concern, and sympathy for
the families who lost loved ones in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist
attacks. We at S&T join in mourning the loss of innocent life
and express our gratitude to the courageous people who rescued and
cared for the injured. Below are a sample of the notes we received.

Accept our deeply sympathy for the disaster. This shocking
story brought sorrow to our hearts.
— Babak A. Tafreshi, Editor of Nojum, Iranian Magazine
for Astronomy (Iran)

I am so sorry for the tragedy. Our prayers are with
your country.
— Edgar Castro (Guatemala)

I was shocked with the news. This is a tragedy to humanity.
My deepest condolences to all American people. We must built a better
future for our children without terror.
— Zachos Georgios (Greece)

Here in France and in all European countries, we deeply
think about you in these dark hours. Here in Paris, we all feel American.
— Serge Brunier (France)

Our thoughts should rightly be with the families and
loved ones of those who have lost their lives. The United States of
America and the United Kingdom share a word in common — united,
and United we shall stand.
— Andrew Lound, UK Regional Coordinator, The Planetary Society
(England)

From us all at the Manchester Astronomical Society our
thoughts go out to all American astronomers and citizens. During the
bombing of Manchester in WWII our motto at MAS was Post Tenebras
Lux; after dark there will be light.
— Kevin J. Kilburn, Secretary, Manchester Astronomical Society
(England)