‘Celestial Trailblazers: Unveiling Our Telescope Users’ aims to become a captivating series exploring the lives and passions of the individuals who make up our vibrant Faulkes Telescope Project community. Under the umbrella of this anthology, we offer everyone a chance to delve into the stories of students, educators, researchers, and enthusiasts who have harnessed the power of our telescopes to unravel a tiny part of the Cosmos. We invite you to join us on this celestial voyage, and if you’re one of our remarkable telescope users, we encourage you to reach out and share your story and images with us!

In order to sow the seeds of this new series, we are pointing our lenses to Oradea, Romania. Here, physics teacher Valentina Matei from Dacia Secondary School, runs an after school club of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Valentina herself attended various events all over the globe, where she had the opportunity to develop and improve her skills as a “space educator”.

During the club’s sessions, she makes use of the Faulkes Telescopes to make observations which her students will then study and analyse. They have observed a wide array of celestial bodies, from clusters and galaxies all the way to comets and asteroids.

Valentina and her students during one of the Astronomy and Astrophysics club meetings.

“Faulkes Telescope Project is an outstanding program that motivates my students to learn astronomy, study celestial objects, and analyze their own pictures” said Valentina and the results speak for themselves. One of her students, Edi Herman received numerous prizes for his results at different Astronomy contests, including a bronze medal at the National Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics organised by the Romanian Physics Society.

Valentina and her student, Edi, holding some of their diplomas.

Concluding our journey with Valentina Matei in Oradea, Romania, we glimpse the passion and achievements that flourish within our Faulkes Telescope Project community. This is merely the beginning of ‘Celestial Trailblazers,’ a series poised to unveil more captivating narratives that span the cosmos. As we shift our focus to the next chapter, we encourage you to step into the spotlight and share your own cosmic tale. Together, we’re painting a vivid portrait of exploration, one star at a time.