ARMAGH OBSERVATORY ASTROHUMANISM
*
A MAGIC PLACE IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Armagh…
The ecclesiastic capital
of entire Ireland…
A blessed space
in which you can travel in history
by visiting the Navan Centre…
…or you can travel in the Cosmos
by visiting Armagh Observatory…
Many would say that
Armagh is placed
at the edge of the world,
but thinking relativistically,
Armagh can also be
a centre of the Universe.
-Poem:
Andrei Dorian Gheorghe (Romania);
Photos:
I.1 Valentin Grigore (Romania)
II.1 Malcolm Currie (England, UK); 2 Casper ter Kuile (Holland);
3 Bernd Brinkman (Germany); 4-5 Valentin Grigore
III.1-5 Valentin Grigore
IV.1 Casper ter Kuile; 2 Rafael Barrios (Venezuela); 3 IMO;
4 Valentin Grigore; 5 Bernd Brinkman
V.1 Valentin Grigore
*
In 2010, September 16-19, Armagh Observatory
was the local organizer of the International Meteor Conference
(the annual meeting of the International Meteor Organization),
which established new records regarding the number
of participants and scientific lectures presented,
although it was the first IMC organized outside of continental Europe.
The organizing committee,
Apostolos Christou, David Asher, Mark Bailey, Tom Barclay, Geert Barentsen,
Joachim Bestenlehner, Colin Folsom, Tobias Hinse, John McFarland,
Aileen McKee, Naslim Neelamkodan, Alison Neve, Miruna Popescu,
Kamalam Vanninathan and Shenghua Yu
were kind enough to invite the conference participants to visit
the oldest observatory in the island of Ireland
in two evenings (September 16th and 18th):
*
SHOUT OF JOY
Let me find some human glory
In Armagh Observatory!
-Tipuritura (the shortest Romanian poetic form):
Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Photos:
Valentin Grigore-
*
ARMAGH ASTROPARK
In Northern Ireland
there is a famous astronomical complex,
where between Armagh Observatory
(founded in 1790!)
and Armagh Planetarium
there is an Astropark including
scale models of the solar system and the universe,
a hypercube,
the Hill of Infinity, a stone calendar…
an entire Paradise
of astronomical art and cosmic dreaminess.
Only the real heavenly bodies
remember over there that
space and time
cannot be hoaxed.
-Poem:
Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Photos:
Valentin Grigore-
*
ON THE HILL OF INFINITY
Feeling like a
Brobdingnagian Gulliver in
Lilliputan space
-Haiku:
Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Photo:
Miruna Popescu (Northern Ireland, UK,
born in Romania)
*
The IMC organizers amazed everyone with their astrohumanism,
a mixture of non-conformism, humour, poetry and art.
Photo by Vincent
*
First, through an allegoric welcoming video made by
Miruna Popescu, a local astronomer of Romanian origin,
in which the IMC participants were teddy bears
and the chairman was Shawn the sheep,
their replies conceived by the great astronomer
David Asher (Northern Ireland,
born in Scotland).
Images by Miruna Popescu
For comparison, the real IMC participants
photographed by
Valentin Grigore
*
David Asher also wrote a funny limerick
to mirror the situation:
When the sheep gave his opening address:
"We're ready to start, more or less,"
The bears began talking
And waving and squawking
Till the meeting was all a great mess.
-David Asher-
David Asher between Miruna Popescu and Marc Gyssens (Belgium),
and under his own teddy bear
photographed by
Bernd Brinkman
*
And, since every IMC participant received a teddy bear from the organizers,
a Russian astronomer
felt obligated to create the following image after the conference:
Collage by Anna Kartashova (Russia)
*
The IMC participants also received
a tee-shirt from the organizers featuring
a fascinating astromythological design
and another amusing limerick by the same David Asher:
IMC 2010 tee-shirt image by Miruna Popescu
with a limerick by David Asher
*
The hosts continued to surprise everyone; on the morning of September 17th
with another one directed by Miruna Popescu,
this time at the Market Place Theatre (the lecture venue for the IMC)
as part of the OASES project,
developed by Armagh Observatory, Armagh Rhymers (musicians)
and children from Armagh,
and led of course by… Miruna Popescu:
an Astroshow
beginning with a performance of an American song from 1959,
A Shooting Star is not a Star (or the Meteor Song)
by Hy Zaret And Lou Singer…
Photos:
1.(IMC 2010 group photo at Armagh Theatre) Valentin Grigore
2. Vincent
3. Bernd Brinkman
4. Adriana Nicolae (Romania)
…and continued with a fascinating astral dance
in the best Irish tradition:
Photos:
1. Adriana Nicolae
2-5. Bernd Brinkman
6. Casper ter Kuile
7-10. Vincent
11. Rafael Barrios
12-16. Valentin Grigore
… and ended with an exhibition of the flags
of the IMC participating countries.
Armagh children, flags and finally Miruna Popescu
photographed by
Valentin Grigore
*
The IMC participants had the chance to get better acquainted with
the Armagh Rhymers band
on the evening of September 17th during a social gathering
at the Turners Pub of the Charlemont Hotel.
They were treated to a special program of Irish music.
Photos:
1. Valentin Grigore
2. Geert Barentsen (Belgium)
3. Casper ter Kuile
*
The IMC audience was also able to admire
a poster of astroartwork by Armagh children
(also organized by Miruna Popescu)…
Miruna Popescu, Armagh children’s poster
and three Romanians in Armagh,
photographed by
Valentin Grigore and Alexandru Sebastian Grigore
… and there was even an astropoem written by a local girl:
OASES
Whatever the colour of your skin,
Whatever country you are in
It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a guy
Because Over us All is the SElfsame Sky
Australia, Hawaii, India maybe,
Armagh, Derry, whatever county
This piece of info is for you and I:
Over us All is the SElfsame Sky
-Heather King, age 11, Lisnadill Primary School-
*
Miruna Popescu was so involved with IMC 2010
since she is also an artist.
One of her paintings is on permanent exhibit
in the Armagh Observatory:
Artwork (Aurora over Armagh Observatory)
by Miruna Popescu
*
In this respect, a living legend of Irish astronomy,
Terry Moseley,
dedicated the following limerick to Miruna Popescu:
There once was a girl called Miruna
Who said "I should have come sooner -
I was observing the sky,
But now clouds have come by
And now I can no longer draw Luna."
-Terry Moseley (Northern Ireland,
born in… South Africa;
in 2002 the International Astronomical Union named after him
an asteroid discovered by… David Asher!)
Valentin Grigore, Terry Moseley and Miruna Popescu
during an IMC 2010 social evening
*
Continuing a long IMC tradition,
some of the lecturers highlighted their scientific projects
with artistic images…
Photos by Bernd Brinkman
*
And this chapter cannot end without remembering the joyousness
of the IMC attendees on September 18th,
when they took part in the human orrery at the Armagh Observatory:
Photos:
1. Bernd Brinkman
2. Anna Kartashova
3. Adriana Nicolae
4. Casper ter Kuile
5. Lidia Egorova (Russia)
THE LIVING OBSERVATORY
Human orrery
people as planets and the
reverse in the sky
-haiku:
Andrei Dorian Gheorghe-
Photos by Valentin Grigore
*
HOME NEXT