MESSIER METEORS

-A Romanian dedication
to those who love heavenly bodies,
from meteors to deep sky objects-

Astropoem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Astrophotographs by Romanian sky lovers
from all over the world
Design by Gabriel Ivanescu

One day
I thought of a revolution in astronomy.
I thought I could change
the names of the meteor showers
from constellations
(from which they seem to come)
to deep sky objects
(of the Messier Catalogue).
Thus, people would continue to love
meteors and constellations,
and would feel much closer to
nebulae, galaxies and clusters of stars …
So
Quadrantids, Lyrids, Perseids,
Orionids, Leonids, Geminids,
and other meteor showers:
are you ready to change your existence?

But at first I decided that
it doesn’t deserve to change anything
in Cetus and Pisces
for only one spiral galaxy in each of them.

Or in Canis Major and Monoceros
for only one open cluster,
or in Cassiopeia
for only two…

…or in Puppis and Auriga
for only three.
Or in Lepus, Sagitta, Pegasus,
Capricornus and Gemini
for only one globular cluster
in each of them…

…(though the Alpha Capricornid meteors
and the Geminid meteors
are so remarkable!)…

…or in Cygnus
for only
two globular clusters…

…or in Hercules
also for
two globular clusters…

or in Ophiucus
for only…
six globular clusters!

Or in Hydra and Serpens,
two so long constellations,
but hiding together only
a few clusters and a spiral galaxy.

Unfortunately for me too,
many constellations with
fascinating deep sky objects
do not launch significant meteor showers.
Thus, I like the cluster
of Scutum,
but I could not invent
the Wildduckids.

I like the planetary nebula
of Vulpecula,
but I could not invent
the Dumbbellids.

I like the spiral galaxy
of Triangulum,
but I could not invent
the Triangpinwheelids.
I like the open cluster
of Cancer,
but I could not invent
the Praesepids.

I like the clusters
of Scorpius…

…but I could not invent
the Butterflids
or the Ptolemids…

I like the galaxies of Canes Venatici,
but I could not invent
the Sunflowerids…

…or
the Whirlpoolids.

However, thinking of the importance
of the Aquarid meteor complex,
and admiring the three clusters of Aquarius,
I could try a compromise
by inventing the Aquaclusterid meteors,
but it would not sound too good.

The same about the Leonid meteors:
for the five galaxies of Leo
I could not invent the Leogalaxids.

And for the ten galaxies of Virgo
(spiral, elliptical or lenticular),
what should I do?

To replace the Virginids
with the name of
the most beautiful of those galaxies,
and to invent the Sombrerids?

The same situation for the galaxies
of Coma Berenices
and Ursa Major.

It would be absurd
to replace the Coma Berenicids
with the Blackeyeids
(for the M64 spiral galaxy)…

...or to replace the Ursa Majorids
with the Cigarids
(for the M82 irregular galaxy)…

…even if I would have
supplementary options here,
such as the Owlids
(for the M97 planetary nebula),
or the Ursapinwheelinds
(for the M101 spiral galaxy).

And I could not make anything too special
for the Andromedid meteors
as long as in the constellation Andromeda
there is a sovereign with the same name -
Andromeda spiral galaxy alias M31.

In Lyra
I could not replace
a name so musical like the Lyrids
with the Ringids
just for a planetary nebula.

In Taurus
I would not be
too inspired by replacing
the Taurid meteor complex…

… with the Crabbids
(from the M1 nebula supernova)
and with the Pleiadids
(from the nicest open cluster).

In Sagittarius (with so fine nebulae)
I could try something new
for the Sagittarid meteor complex,
such as
the Lagoonids…

…or the Trifids,
or the Omegids…

…but I could rather lose my mind
among the fifteen deep sky objects
(open clusters, globular clusters
and diffuse nebulae).

Other problems
in Perseus.

How could I replace
the famous Perseids…

…with the Emthirtyfourids
just for an
extraordinary open cluster?

Or in Orion.
How could I replace the Orionids
with the Emfortytwoids
just for a wonderful diffuse nebula?

So finally I have to abandon all.
But I ask all of you, please:
do not tell anything about my crazy fantasy to the
International Meteor Organization members.
They would shriek with laughter at me!

…

Note 1:
Andrei Dorian Gheorghe performed Messier Meteors during
the Astropoetry Show of the International Meteor Conference 2007
in Bareges (France),
on the guitar accompaniment of the famous French astronomer
Jeremie Vaubaillon (from Paris Observatory),
as in the photographs taken by:
-Casper ter Kuile (Holland), above,
-Lucie Maquet (France), below.

Note 2:
The 38 astrophotographs which adorn this astropoem
were made by:
1-3. Valentin Grigore, Gabriel Ivanescu, and
Catalin Paduraru (Spain) - M45 (Pleiades) in Taurus
4. Alexandru Conu - A Fireball near Pleiades
5. Radu Gherase - M74 in Pisces
6. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M52 in Cassiopeia
7. Dr. Gheorghe Vass and Ovidiu Vaduvescu (Astronomical Institute
of Romanian Academy, 1996) - M15 in Pegasus
8. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M35 in Gemini
9. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M29 in Cygnus
10. Maximilian Teodorescu - M13 in Hercules
11. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M10 in Ophiucus
12. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M5 in Serpens Caput
13. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M11 (Wild Duck) in Scutum
14. Radu Gherase - M27 (Dumbbell) in Vulpecula
15. Radu Gherase - M44 (Praesepe) in Cancer
16. Maximilian Teodorescu - M4 in Scorpius
17. Dr. Ovidiu Vaduvescu (Universitad Catolica del Norte,
Santiago, Chile) - Scorpius in Southern Hemisphere
18. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M63 (Sunflower) in Canes Venatici
19. Maximilian Teodorescu - M51 (Whirlpool) in Canes Venatici
20. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M2 in Aquarius
21. Valentin Grigore - Leonid Train, 1998
22. Vasile Micu - Virgo in Zodiacal Light, 1995
23. Radu Gherase - M104 (Sombrero) in Virgo
24. Alexandru Conu - Ursa Major and Neighborhoods
25. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M64 (Black Eye) in Coma Berenices
26. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M82 (Cigar) in Ursa Major
27. Radu Gherase - M101 (Pinwheel) in Ursa Major
28. Alexandru Conu - M31 Andromeda Galaxy
29. Maximilian Teodorescu - M57 (Ring) in Lyra
30. Cristina Tinta - Hyades in Taurus
31. Catalin Fus - M45 (Pleiades) in Taurus
32. Maximilian Teodorescu - M8 (Lagoon) in Sagittarius
33. Maximilian Teodorescu - M17 (Omega) in Sagittarius
34. Alin Tolea (John Hopkins University,
Baltimore, U.S.A) - Sagitarius (Teapot)
35. Mihai Curtasu - NGC869 and NGC884 in Perseus
36. Alexandru Conu - During Perseid Maximum, 2007
37. Adrian Bruno Sonka - M34 in Perseus
38. Eugen Florin Marc - M42 in Orion

…

MESSIER’S BREATH

It is so hard for the sky lovers
to separate from Messier’s breath
of nebulae, clusters of stars, and galaxies
… till the next observational nights!

Note 3:
The astrophotographs above were made by:
-Dan Mitrut -
Spot
-Catalin Mitu -
M57

...

POST-SCRIPTUM

But maybe next time I shall try
to change the names of the meteor showers
from constellations
to parent comets:

Spring Halleyids for Eta Aquarids,
Swift-Tuttlids for Perseids,
Autumn Halleyids for Orionids,
Tempel-Tuttlids for Leonids…

Note 4:
The last three astrophotographs were made by:
1. Zoltan Deak - M42 (Pleiades)
in Taurus, 1996
2. Vasile Micu - Comet Halle-Bopp
in Zodiacal Light, 1997
3. Alexandru Conu - Comet Machholz, Pleiades,
and California Nebula, 2005

Special thanks
to Adrian Bruno Sonka (coordinator of
“Admiral Vasile Urseanu” Bucharest Municipal Observatory)
and to the astrophotographers of the Bucharest Astroclub

© 2007 SARM
(Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy)