The Romanian team at the 19th edition of the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics - 2026, together with the team coordinators. Photo: Ministry of Education - Romania, Facebook.
A stellar triumph for Romania at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2026
Romania achieved a remarkable result at the 19th edition of the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 25 September to 5 October 2026: three gold medals and two silver medals.
The gold medals were won by Alexandru-Ioan Jicu, Teodor Bichir and Robert-Cristian Amariei, while Vlad Toncu and Vlad-Tudor Bolohan received silver medals. The achievement is all the more impressive given that this year’s edition brought together 315 contestants from 64 countries.
For the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy, this success is an additional source of joy and pride, as Teodor Bichir and Vlad Toncu completed training internships at our institution. We are also honored that Ms Ana Elisabeta Naghi, a member of the Olympiad’s International Committee and involved in coordinating the Romanian team on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Research, is also our esteemed colleague within the European Exo4Edu project, dedicated to exoplanet education and to bringing astronomy into schools.
The Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy congratulates the students, their teachers and coordinators, and everyone who contributed to this exceptional achievement. Their results once again confirm the strength of the Romanian school of astronomy and the passion of a new generation for exploring the Universe.
Exo4Edu - Transnational Project Meeting #3
Exo4Edu international partners meet in Bucharest
On 22-23 September 2026, the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy hosted in Bucharest the third transnational meeting of the Exo4Edu project - Transnational Project Meeting #3, bringing together international partners from Albania, Portugal and France who, together with Romania, are involved in the development and implementation of the project.
The two working days were dedicated to evaluating the progress of Exo4Edu and preparing the next stages of the project. Discussions focused on project management and activity monitoring, the development of the website and pedagogical resources, teacher training programmes, the implementation of educational activities in schools, and the development of the Exo4Edu community.
An important part of the programme focused on the experience gained during the first Exo4Edu Summer School, organised in Albania, as well as on the preparation of future training activities and national programmes planned for 2026-2027. Participants also discussed the methodology for monitoring activities carried out in schools and ways of expanding the project’s presence and visibility in educational and online environments.
The meeting programme also included a component dedicated to presenting Romania’s scientific and cultural heritage within the local urban context. Participants visited the scientific and educational park of the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy, the heritage telescopes of Romanian astronomy, buildings that have played a scientific role in the exploration of the Universe, and several high-precision instruments. These activities offered a broader historical perspective on the development of science and astronomy in Romania and encouraged the continuation of discussions among consortium members on the Exo4Edu project in an informal setting.
Autumn Equinox 2026
The autumn equinox is the moment when the Sun, in its apparent motion across the celestial sphere, crosses the celestial equator from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. From an astronomical point of view, at this moment the apparent geocentric ecliptic longitude of the Sun is equal to 180°.
In 2026, the autumn equinox occurs on Wednesday, September 23, at 00:05 UTC, corresponding to 03:05 local time in Romania (EEST). This moment marks the beginning of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and, at the same time, the beginning of astronomical spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
The term "equinox" comes from the Latin words aequus ("equal") and nox ("night"), referring to the fact that, around this time of year, the lengths of day and night are approximately equal. They are not, however, exactly equal, mainly because of atmospheric refraction and the way sunrise and sunset are defined.
Around the time of the equinox, the Sun rises very close to due east and sets very close to due west. After the autumn equinox, in the Northern Hemisphere, the length of daylight continues to decrease, while the duration of nighttime increases until the winter solstice.
In Bucharest, on September 23, 2026, the Sun will rise at approximately 07:03 and set at approximately 19:11, resulting in a day length of about 12 hours and 8 minutes.
The date of the equinox is not fixed. In the Gregorian calendar, the autumn equinox generally occurs on September 22 or 23, with much rarer occurrences on September 21 or 24.
Further details on the exact times of the main astronomical phenomena occurring throughout the year can be found by accessing the following link: https://www.astro.ro:8080/static/data/2026/phenomena-2026.pdf
Equinox
Participants in the 9th International Conference in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Sciences, gathered at the Cluj-Napoca Astronomical Observatory
The International Conference in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Sciences – 2026
Between July 1 and 3, 2026, the Cluj-Napoca Astronomical Observatory of the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy hosted the 9th edition of the International Conference in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Sciences, organized as part of the Academic Days Cluj-Napoca 2026 series. For three days, researchers from Romania and abroad were reunited in a shared forum for scientific debate. The conference programme brought together topics representative of current astronomical research, ranging from the study of asteroids, artificial satellites and the orbital environment to astrophysics, cosmology, exoplanets and solar physics. The technological dimension was supported by research on artificial intelligence, astronomical image processing, and the development of new methods and software tools.
The Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy was represented by researchers and topics reflecting its current activities, including stellar and solar observations, studies of small bodies in the Solar System, and the development and operation of advanced infrastructure dedicated to monitoring near-Earth space. The conference also featured preliminary results from the international Exo4Edu project, strategies dedicated to astronomy education in Romania, and an assessment of the observational infrastructure and strategic development directions of the Astronomical Institute.
A distinct component of the conference programme was the dialogue between fundamental research, technology, education and the history of science. The posters and presentations covering these fields showed that both public education on exoplanets and the broader development of astronomical literacy cannot be viewed within the boundaries of a single discipline.
Now in its 9th edition, the Cluj-Napoca conference is further consolidating its character as an interdisciplinary scientific meeting, where researchers present their latest results, some of them for the first time before the specialist community, submit them to collegial discussion, and open new opportunities for collaboration. In this respect, Cluj-Napoca provided a particularly fitting setting for such a meeting. Here, the academic framework of the Romanian Academy, represented by the Astronomical Institute, naturally meets the dynamism of a strong university environment, shaped above all by the contribution of Babeș-Bolyai University. Through this close interaction between institutions and fields of research, the cooperation and contributions emerging from the conference lead to the publication of full scientific papers in a special issue of the Romanian Astronomical Journal. Thus, the three days of scientific dialogue offer a snapshot of the current state of astronomy, astrophysics and related scientific fields, while also serving as a starting point for future research and publications.