For Global Astronomy Month 2020 (109): Echo (3) - GAM Time Tunnel (2)

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe (text) and Florin Alexandru Stancu (design)

Published: Thursday, May 28 2020 19:05

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“Astronomy is my life
and one day the planets aligned for me
to become the coordinator
of an astronomical complex
(observatory and planetarium).
It seems that I had a lucky star
in the European Union!”
-Ovidiu Tercu-

Jan Ovidiu Tercu leads Galati’s observatory and planetarium (made from European funds), which became operational in 2009 in the “Capital City of the Lower Danube” (in East Romania, former Moldova principality, part of historical Moldova), and around which he founded the Calin Popovici Astroclub (named after the creator of the variable star school in Romania after World War II).

He is a well-known author and consultant of astronomical projects, presents planetarium shows, organizes observational activities for the public at large, educates students, prepares participants at olimpiads of astronomy and astrophysics, and leads astronomy camps organized in the Macin Mountains.

Ovidiu Tercu and his team also make observations of variable stars, asteroids, comets and exoplanets, collaborate with world astronomy institutions and discovered thirteen variable stars and an asteroid. 

My time tunnel found that in April 2020 (during the pandemic times) he and his team made the final analyze of an object (from the constellation Vulpecula) studied since September 2014. 

Then they announced the happy result on April 27, 2020: the American Association of Variable Star Observers included the last discovery of the Galati Observatory in the international database as a Mira variable star (TCP J19441156+2003460).

On April 28, 2020, Ovidiu Tercu and his team also made observations of Comet C/2020 H2 (Pruyne) - during the time of GAM, too.    

From a comet to
A variable star
The road is not long
If we know where we are.
-Andrei Dorian Gheorghe-