SAVING THE WORLD’S COSMOPOETRY -
BOOK II of
COSMOPOETRY DIARY IN THE PANDEMIC
CHAPTER III (episodes 41-60)
Design: Florin Alexandru Stancu
41
WINTER TO THE STARS
A collective work of SARM
“Right when I was ready to start to the first astronomical camp in 2021,
which I organized in the beginning of February at Runcu Stone,
Covid 19 hit my family in a severe way.
If my boys resisted without many difficulties,
I suffered a lot and had to follow a complex treatment at home,
while my wife Mariana was transported to the Military Hospital in Bucharest,
where she was intubated in critical state at intense care.
In these conditions, Cosmin Sorin Miclos and Cristian Danescu left their problems
and came in a hurry to replace me.
They led the camp,
which I could coordinate only by phone.”
-Valentin Grigore-
“February 2-6, 2021.
I was a participant in an astronomical camp
organized bt SARM at Runcu Stone during the pandemic,
where, instead of Mr. Valentin Grigore,
two other astronomers,
Mr. Cosmin Sorin Miclos and Mr. Cristian Danescu,
wanted to share their knowledge with the young participants
and presented a few captivating courses of astronomy.
We also made a few excursions and observed the stars every night.
The food was very good and finally we made a fire camp.
We used the protection masks all the time.
When I left the camp I was both happy and sad
because we returned home from a story place,
but could think of the next camp of SARM.”
-Raul Babi-
“I selected a few photo-sequences which I took
during the “Winter to the Stars” Camp:
-resisting to the Leaota Mountain;
-greeting a great sunset and its crepuscular rays;
-the International Space Station over Romania;
-an evening with astronomical observations;
-a starry night with Orion, Hyades and Pleiades.”
-Sorin Cosmin Miclos-
NEVER FORGET
Haiku by Valentin Grigore and Andrei Dorian Gheorghe,
photos by Cosmin Sorian Miclos
In mountains, towns or
just isolation, let’s keep
winter to the stars!
STAR SOULS
Haiku by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe,
photos with Cristian Danescu and Cosmin Sorin Miclos
In hard times, star souls
just keep solidarity
for astronomy.
42
NEAR THE MANU CAVAFU CHURCH
(Bucharest, February 10)
Astro-photo-haiku by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Between a halo
and a tangent arc it’s good
to look for yourself
43
ARCTURUS’ THOUGHTS
(Bucharest, February 5-6, 2021)
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
On a cold and foggy night,
I heard the thoughts of Arcturus
from the galactic north pole of the Milky Way.
“Just because I am a red giant,
sometimes I feel so isolated
that I imagine a small planet
which orbits a middle star,
where some of the inhabitants call me
“the guardian of the Great Bear”,
or “the keeper of north”,
or “the Star of Joy”.
But just because they think
I am the brightest star in the Spring Triangle,”
continued Alpha Bootis,
“maybe they should call me
the “Star of New Hopes”.”
44
TORN FROM THE SUN
(Bucharest, February 9. 2021)
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Once I wanted to check
if the flame of a nation could be disturbed by a pandemic.
So I went to the Romanian sacred zone
(conceived after World War I) in the Carol I Park.
The result of my “investigation”:
the flame of a nation is intangible
just because it is torn from the Sun.
Or maybe even from
the Haloed Sun!
45
FOURTH PANDEMIC SNOWFALL
(Bucharest, February 11 and 12, 2021)
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Universe of snow!
What would the worlds be without
hot and leading stars?
46
BUCHAREST, FEBRUARY 15, 2021
Astro-photo-haiku by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
First time when I saw
the Moon in her new cycle -
too young to be crowned
47
BUCHAREST, FEBRUARY 12, 2021
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Terrible frost with
a nice sunset and other
sky consequences
48
RACOVITA HIGH SCHOOL, ZIGU AND HARALD
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
On February 17, 2021
the Sun guided me to the high school
which I graduated in 1979
(inaugurated in 1942 by even King Mihai I of Romania,
it is named after the first naturalist in the Arctic Circle -
participant in the Belgica Expedition, 1897-1899 -,
Emil Racovita,
co-founder of biospeology
and founder of the world's first speleological institute
in 1920 in Cluj-Napoca).
After 1970 this high school received a national sportive profile,
being graduated even by the “best woman athlete of the 20th century”,
the gymnast Nadia Comaneci.
But I prefer to remember the exceptional friendship housed here
between teacher Zigmund Tauberg aka Zigu
(mathematician, popularizer of astronomy
and the longest-lived astropoet in the world)
and student Harald Alexandrescu (future coordinator
of the Bucharest Municipal Observatory).
In 1961, they coordinated here over 1000 people
who wanted to see a total solar eclipse through the telescope.
An earthly friendship so bright…
just like that of
Procyon and Sirius in the sky.
49
ARC
(Bucharest, February 12, 2021)
Astro-photo-haiku by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Luminous triplet
in the best apparent walk -
sunrise-noon-sunset
50
STELLAR NAMES
(Bucharest, February 13-15, 2021)
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
During the pandemic
I have admired
those who take care of children.
One night a younger friend
informed me by phone that
he has become a father again and wants
to name his daughter Denebola Zosma.
“Do you know these are
the Arabian names of the stars
Beta Leonis and Delta Leonis?” -
I asked him.
“No, I don’t,” he replied, “but I like
how these names sound together.”
51
ONE MORNING
(Bucharest, February 14, 2021)
Astro-photo-haiku Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Dear passers, do you
know you are walking under
a small tangent arc?
52
MISCELLANEOUS WITH THE SUN AND THE MOON
(Bucharest, February 13 and 16, 2021)
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Just three steps from a
sunny day to an ice day -
so crazy winter!
53
IN THE CAROL I PARK
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
On February 9, 2021
a solar halo in southeast invited me to another walk
and I chose the Carol I Park,
inaugurated in 1906 by the king
who brought the independence of Romania in 1877-1878.
But later, that park was renamed for a while the Freedom Park
by the former totalitarian regime.
I found there, between two monuments of the 1900s
(Dracula’s Castle and the Silver Knight Church)
a few happy mini-societies different from
the rest of the city affected by the pandemic:
children, athletes, normal people, birds…
I left the place after a few hours:
the solar halo had moved to southwest
and I thought that the correct name
of that wonderful park should be…
Carol I’s Park of Freedom!
54
FREE OF CORONAVIRUS
Selfie by Valentin Grigore
Thank you!
55
THREE HALOES AND MORE
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
On February 21, 2021
I had reasons of joy catching three solar haloes
in less than one hour:
one in the sky over my neighborhood,
one surrounding God’s Eye
at the entrance to the Tabacari Church (made in the 1760s)
and one surrounding even the Creator in the church.
But when I walked around the church,
the Sun played other roles
in showing his power:
a tiny disc, a smile, a tiny disc again
and a ray shower.
56
VACCINATED
Text by Florin Alevandru Stancu, photos by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Being a teacher in an university,
I had the right to be vaccinated faster.
Then I had some fever and pains,
but it was worth a little torment
if I become immune (a 60%-80% chance)
after a vaccine with an astral name.
57
ON THE COCIOC HILL
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
On February 10, 2021, 3:00 AM,
I saw the star Spica,
part of the Spring Triangle,
and I thought that
the annual season of rebirths
will come soon.
Then a solar halo made me look
for a picturesque winter memory,
which I found
in the northern edge of the Youth Park:
the Cocioc Hill,
which was a ski resort in the 1930s
and also seems to be adequate
for telescopic observations.
So I climbed that hill
(and I returned there two days later
to see it covered by the fourth snowfall
in the pandemic),
looking for places good
for ski slalom,
for ski jumping
and for… sky jumping.
58
SUN FOR GENIUSES
(Bucharest, February 15, 2021)
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Nothing compares
with the Sun.
Not even the corner of
the greatest Romanian creators
in Bucharest’s Youth Park,
from which I chose a few statuary silhouettes
during a short visit:
1. Emil Cioran (1911-1995),
the most famous Romanian philosopher.
2. Ciprian Porumbescu (1853-1883)
and George Enescu (1881-1955),
the most important Romanian musicians.
3. Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889),
the Romanian national poet
and genius par excellence.
Finally I remarked that
the Sun put an epaulette on a shoulder
of the last of them,
nicknamed the “Luceafarul” (the Brightest Star)
of Romanian poetry.
59
AROUND THE PANDEMIC ISOLATION
Astro-photo-poem by Valentin Grigore
During the last day of anti-Covid restrictions,
a call to life again:
the young Moon through the window.
…And a memory from the Carpathians.
Always above the world to watch it better and to understand life.
The daily aspiration to the heights, above the clouds,
to receive the light of the stars.
…And my first expedition after the isolation time
(Petresti, Dambovita).
The grey light of the Moon,
born from the light reflected by Earth!
60
FLIGHT
(Bucharest, February 15, 2021)
Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Sunset, colored clouds
and several birds flying
right toward the Moon…
… and hoping to find
a golden treasure.
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