SARM’s “ASTRO 2021” at Runcu Stone
By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe (astro-photo-poem-essay) and Florin Alexandru Stancu (design)
We lived many other wonders
(It’s good to see a new star rain!)
And were happy to touch the sky
In Runcu Stone’s magic again.
In 2021, October 4-12, the Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM) organized their traditional autumn event with exit to the sky, “ASTRO” (a project co-financed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports) - 15 years from the first edition -, in a superb location surrounded by mountains, Runcu Stone.
This time Valentin Grigore conceived an original national conference-camp-workshop with international ramifications, as for an astronomical Guinness Book, including:
-A group of elite lecturers: the professional astronomers Ruxandra Toma, Simon Anghel and Cristian Danescu (all three from the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy), Cosmin Sorin Miclos (president of the Astronomer Disciple Association), Catalin Beldea (the national “eclipse-man”), Razvan Andrei (the national collector of meteorites), Gabriel Neagu (the young national record holder in the discovery of variable stars), Valentin Grigore (president of SARM) and me. -A target audience composed of zonal animators of astronomy and super-gifted young students. -Online transmissions from La Palma (with Ovidiu Vaduvescu, leader of the EURONEAR Project), New York (with Ioana Stelea) and the United Arab Emirates (with the eminent astronomer Nezar Hezam).
-Exhibitions of astrophotography (Valentin Grigore and guests), books of the Astromix Publishing House and SARM, meteorites (from Razvan Andrei’s collection).
-A Cosmopoetry Gala.
-A demonstration of model rocketry.
-Ecological excursions.
-Observational nights with meteor showers (October Cameleopardalids , Draconids, South Taurids, Delta Aurigids), comets (4P/Faye, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) and the flight of the International Space Station.
Topics were presented about stars, constellations, seasons, sky maps, planispheres, light pollution, astronomical instruments, history of classic photography, variable stars, asteroids, meteors, books of the Astromix Publishing House and SARM (I launched my two new books on astronomical poetry history and astro-proverbs in verses), astrophotography (eclipses, deep sky objects and by smart phone), meteorites, astronomical expeditions around the world, international projects and networks.
Last but not least, on October 6 Valentin Grigore presented live aspects from “ASTRO 2021” for the regular online meeting of the Astronomers Withour Borders staff.
Finally Gabriel Neagu and Cristian Danescu (vice-president of SARM) discovered a new variable star (after survey analyses), crowning “ASTRO 2021”, which lasted eight days (1) and was also the eighth camp (another record-breaking!) organized by SARM this year.
SARM and friends at Runcu Stone…
Conference, camp, workshop…
Elite lecturers with passionate students
And Arcturus announcing new nights
With other fascinating lights.
Have you ever thought
About who we are?
Maybe each of us Is
A variable star.
#poetry