Open Day at the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy
Asteroid Day - Open Day at the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy
On June 26, 2026, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM, the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy invites you to the event: ASTEROID DAY - OPEN DAY. Address: 5 Cuțitul de Argint Street, District 4, Bucharest.
Public access to this event is free of charge and requires prior registration by email at astro@astro.ro or by phone at 021 335 68 92, by providing the first and last names of the people who will attend and the time at which they wish to come. Subject to availability, each visitor will be assigned a time slot for attending this event.
Activities:
Presentations in the field of astronomy in the Planetarium Hall - Visits to the museum spaces in the Meridian Hall and the Equatorial Dome - Solar observations through astronomical instruments equipped with professional filters - Tour of the scientific and educational park of the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy.
The observational telescope test, 2026 National Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics (ONAA)
Performance and Passion for Astronomy at ONAA 2026
The Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy was represented at the 2026 National Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics (ONAA), the 23rd edition, held from 5 to 9 May 2026 at the “Ion Luca” Theoretical High School in Vatra Dornei, Suceava County.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Education and Research, in collaboration with academic and scientific institutions, including “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, the CYGNUS Scientific Society, the Romanian Space Agency, and the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy.
The National Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics is Romania’s official school competition dedicated to students passionate about astronomy, astrophysics, and space sciences. The competition includes theoretical and practical tests and plays an important role in building a community of young people interested in research, as well as in preparing Romania’s team for international competitions in the field.
On behalf of the Astronomical Institute, Cristian Omăt took part in the organization and running of the competition as an evaluating teacher for the observational telescope test. In addition, Dr. Iharka Csillik joined the participants online through an astronomy presentation, helping bring students closer to both the beauty and the rigor of this science. Our colleague Iharka also supported the smooth running of the Olympiad as a translator.
A note of gratitude goes to Ms. Ana Elisabeta Naghi, inspector for mathematics and astronomy at the Ministry of Education and Research, for her constant and discreet involvement in supporting high-level school competitions. Through her professionalism, patience, and care for people, her contribution once again helped ensure the smooth running of the Olympiad and created a setting in which the students’ passion for astronomy could be encouraged and valued.
Through its involvement, the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy continues to support science education and the promotion of astronomy among students.
The Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy at SPACEFEST 2026
The Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy participated in SPACEFEST 2026, held from May 7 to 9, 2026, on the campus of POLITEHNICA Bucharest, with a stand dedicated to promoting astronomy, science-based education, and direct dialogue with the public. The number of visitors was high, in the context of the diverse range of civilian and military exhibitors present at the event, as well as the fact that, in the adjacent hall, American astronauts Nicole Stott and Charles Duke shared with the public their experiences of spaceflight and, respectively, of the Moon landing.
At the institute’s stand, visitors had the opportunity to discover astronomical equipment, meteorite fragments, 3D models of celestial bodies, and popular science materials. The live camera equipped with the MOROI lens, projected onto a screen, allowed children to intuitively understand the concept of an all-sky image. In addition, the telescopic observation of “Pluto” offered the opportunity for a useful discussion about the ways in which this dwarf planet, as well as other bodies located at the edge of the Solar System, can in fact be observed and explored.
During the event, Romanian AI-powered humanoid robots also passed by the stand of the Astronomical Institute. Since the cold, never-sleeping eyes of the MOROI system developed by the Astronomical Institute are, in their real operation, also assisted by AI, the moment suggested a cybernetic dialogue, beyond words, between the two Romanian technologies.
The institute’s stand attracted many young visitors, including students with school astronomy projects, who received guidance from our specialists. Astronomy enthusiasts, astrophotographers, science promoters, and specialists from around the world also visited the stand, interested in the instruments and techniques used in professional astronomy in Romania.
Participation in SPACEFEST 2026 was a valuable opportunity to bring astronomy closer to the public and to show that science can inspire, connect, and open new paths of knowledge.
Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy at SPACEFEST 2026
M4.3-class solar flare observed at AIRA
M4.3-Class Solar Flare Observed at the Bucharest Solar Observatory
Solar activity has increased again, and on April 23, 2026, at 08:30 UTC, an M4.3-class flare occurred in active region AR14422. We observed the flare with the H-alpha instrument at the Bucharest Solar Observatory, and the solar radio SDR spectrograph recorded a series of Type III bursts in the HF-VHF band, from 15 MHz to 65 MHz.
Three other M-class flares were recorded that day, some accompanied by CMEs, and the next day two major X2.5-class flares were recorded, as can be seen in the GOES X-ray flux diagram. The active region was near the western limb, and the associated CMEs were not Earth-directed.
The time-lapse animation consists of frames taken one minute apart, and the total duration of the eruption was about 30 minutes.
The strong Type III radio bursts are generated by electron beams moving at relativistic speeds, approximately 0.1–0.5c, in the magnetic field. This phenomenon occurs slightly later, when the shock waves from the eruption reach the solar corona. The spectrogram is 15 minutes long.
Octavian Blagoi, AIRA Scientific Researcher https://solar.astro.ro
