GAM 2017 Blog
- Published: Monday, April 24 2017 08:48
By Valentin Grigore
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 was the most important global celebration of astronomy in the human history.
After this incredible event when people from all over the world experienced together the beauties of the sky, Astronomers Without Borders continue to encourage people to share the same sky through Global Astronomy Month, a model about how we can promote astronomy and education through astronomy whole the year and for all people.
The Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM) was founded in 1993 to fill the gap in popular astronomy created in Romania by a former totalitarian regime.
The concept of SARM, astronomy-culture-art-education-society, has been materialized through events organized during whole the year:
- astronomical camps, events and activities of popularization of astronomy in schools, museums, universities, theatres, cultural centers, public libraries,
houses for people with disabilities and even prisons, culminating with the annual Perseid national camp (including a summer astronomical school), the national contest of astrophotography, Noi si Cerul (Us and the Sky) TV show, national galas of astronomy and cosmopoetry festivals;
- national and international expeditions for the observation of more sky phenomena and visiting the largest telescopes in the world;
- participations at international conferences and projects of observational astronomy and astrophotography.
Later, SARM gladly became part of Astronomers Without Borders, the new international house of the celebration of astronomy, whose astrohumanist principles for spreading astronomy all over the world are quite impressive.
That’s why the Global Astronomy Month has become the highest invitation for people to be both earthly and cosmic.
That’s why every year SARM tries to be a good contributor for this event, following its traditional creeds, like these:
"Come with us and admire
The splendors of the starry sky.
Look at the bright stars and discover
He Who Created The Light.”
-Valentin Grigore-
"In the House of the Universe
Say: It’s mine!
But talking to stars
You must shine.”
-Andrei Dorian Gheorghe-
Valentin Grigore is the founder and President of the Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM), the national society of astronomy in Romania. He started his activity in astronomy in 1982 (14 years old) as autodidact. He is the founder of the Romanian meteor school and of the annual national astronomical camp and summer astronomical school "Perseide" (first edition in 1993), the most important astronomical event in Romania. Also, in 2000 he founded the biennial Astrophotography National Contest and International Exhibition. In 1992 he became member of the International Meteor Organization (IMO). Currently, he is the National Coordinator in Romania of the Astronomers Without Borders, member in the Committee of Initiative of EURONEAR project (European Near Earth Asteroids Research) and Board Member of One Star at a Time: Reclaim the Starry Night Sky. In the last 25 years, Valentin leaded hundreds of educational and observational astronomical projects in Romania and abroad. In 2000 and 2011 he led the organization of the International Meteor Conference in Pucioasa and Sibiu (Romania). Since 2008 he is the producer of "Noi si Cerul" (Us and the Sky) astronomical TV show in Romania.
He is an active militant for the protection of the dark-sky.
Valentin's State of Sky
Valentin on Facebook
