From Nukus to the stars
As a child growing up in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, I dreamed of becoming a cosmonaut. I collected astronomy books and tried to understand the distant worlds above me.
I remember watching rocket trails stretch across the sky—flights from Baikonur leaving beautiful traces near the horizon. Seeing them made space feel closer, like somewhere people could actually go.
I remember the Moon rising above the horizon, looking enormous and glowing orange or red. The patterns on its face reminded me of an old Soviet five-kopeck coin. I would stare in amazement, wondering what that distant world would look like up close.
From the fifth floor of our apartment building, I also loved watching the sunset. As a child, I wasn’t thinking about the Earth turning. It looked as though the Sun was gently settling onto the distant land, somewhere I might be able to reach. I could simply stand there and watch, fascinated.
Some of my clearest memories are of returning home late at night after visiting relatives. Above us, the stars shone brightly, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky. I would look up and wonder how far it went, and what might be waiting out there.
Today, living in the Netherlands, I explore that same sky through a telescope and a camera. Learning to photograph nebulae and galaxies has given my childhood curiosity a new direction.
QARA TUYNIK is where I share that journey—from the skies I remember over Karakalpakstan to the light I collect from my garden today.
