Asteroid Day 2024 – Open Doors Day at the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy On June 20, 2024, during the "Asteroid Day – Open Doors Day" event, a large audience had the opportunity to visit the premises of the Astronomical Observatory in Bucharest, part of the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy.
As every year, the Astronomical Institute offered astronomy and science enthusiasts the chance to participate in a guided tour that included the Meridian Hall, the Equatorial Dome, the Planetarium Hallway, the Planetarium Room, and the institute's scientific park.
In the Meridian Hall, presentations were delivered by Octavian Bădescu and Sorin Marin, summarizing the main scientific research directions in astronomy and astrophysics. These were linked to the specific functionalities of the scientific instruments on display and their role in the history of astronomy in our country.
Groups of visitors of all ages then entered the Equatorial Dome, where PowerPoint presentations by Dan Pricopi and Ruxandra Toma illustrated the scientific astrophotography work conducted by Romanian astronomers in Bucharest. This work, carried out using the Prin-Merz astrograph refractor telescope, spans nearly 100 years.
Between the two former scientific research halls, the Main Hall of the Principal Pavilion hosted a spectacular astrophotography exhibition by the Romanian Meteor Astronomical Society (SARM), coordinated by the tireless Valentin Grigore.
Following this exhibition, the Planetarium Hall featured an extensive space vehicle model project created by Cristian Lazăr. In the same space, Adrian Popescu used large touch-screen terminals and 3D glasses to present various physical and dynamic characteristics of the Sun, our neighboring star.
Throughout the event, popular astronomy presentations were held in the Planetarium Room by Ruxandra Toma, Cristian Omăt, Simon Anghel, Adrian Șonka, Diana Constantin, and Valentin Grigore.
The guided tour continued in the scientific park of the Astronomical Institute, where Octavian Blagoi and Liliana Dumitru provided extensive explanations and guided visitors in observing the Sun through telescopes equipped with professional filters. Additionally, the dedicated team of Space Club volunteers from the Ministry of National Defense, led by Andra Stoica, along with Georgian Tudor, Diana Chiriță, and Adrian Neaga, organized themed astronomy workshops.
Published on: Jul 03, 2024