---
title: "Goana după meteor"
slug: goana-dupa-meteor
type: project
kicker: "project № 03 · 2025 · lead"
accent: indigo
pills:
  - closed
  - 2025
  - AFCN
  - €35,547
  - lead
  - 100% recommendation
role: "lead"
order: 3
summary: "Astronomy camp at Mociu, the meteorite village. 100% recommendation."
---

August 2025. An astronomy camp at Mociu, the village where a meteorite fell on 3 February 1882. AFCN, €35,547. Twenty-two participants, 100% recommendation rate.

## what it was

An interdisciplinary astronomy camp held on 18–20 August 2025 at Mociu, the dark-sky village in Cluj County where, on 3 February 1882, a meteorite classified as L5-6 ordinary chondrite fell, documented by Antal Koch. The programme combined professional telescope observation during the Perseid meteor shower, astrophotography workshops, philosophy sessions on cosmology and existence, creative writing inspired by the sky, and sessions on Romanian astronomical folklore.

## why it mattered

For us, Mociu is more than an astronomical location. It is a place where the sky once fell, in 1882, in the form of a stone that still bears the village name. *Goana după meteor* (the chase after the meteor) is also a literary salute: the title is a wink at Verne, and at the more general effort to follow a celestial event with your eyes still on the ground. The combination of hard science with literature, philosophy, and folklore is not eclecticism; it is our method.

The result: a cultural experience participants described as enriching precisely because of the **interweaving**, and which 100% of them said they would recommend.

## what we did

- **Professional astronomical observation** with telescope, during the Perseids.
- **Astrophotography workshops** with expert guidance.
- **Philosophy sessions** on cosmology and existence.
- **Creative writing** inspired by celestial phenomena.
- **Romanian folk astronomy:** myths, traditional names, stories.
- **Dark-sky location** at Mociu, optimal for observation.

## what we learned

Two concrete things, supported by feedback.

First: **the interdisciplinary approach is what differentiates us**. Participants kept mentioning that this combination, rare in traditional astronomy camps, is what made the experience memorable. For the next edition, we will keep the formula but recalibrate the balance: more practical time on astronomy and astrophotography, slightly less time on the humanities components (which stay, but more concentrated).

Second: **small scale enables quality**. Twenty-two participants is a number that allows personalised attention. We will not scale up beyond what the format can hold, even if demand would allow it. The quality of the experience is our advantage.

## numbers

- **Budget:** €35,547 (AFCN)
- **Participants:** 22
- **Duration:** 3 days (18–20 August 2025)
- **Location:** Mociu, Cluj County
- **Satisfaction:** very high (estimated 4.5/5 from feedback)
- **Recommendation rate:** 100%

## reflection from the feedback

The workshops that drew the strongest interest were astronomy (telescope observation) and astrophotography (a practical, applicable skill). Literature was well integrated; philosophy attracted moderate interest; Romanian folk astronomy, despite being less familiar to the public, was considered a unique differentiator.

## materials

- Photo set (in post-production).
- Astrophotography produced by participants.
- Notes from the philosophy sessions.
- Folk astronomy material (consolidation in progress).

## read alongside

- [Cabinet of retrofuturist curiosities](project-cabinet-retrofuturist) (2024): another interdisciplinary project.
- [AI4NGOs](project-ai4ngos) (2025): the other major training of the year.
- [Wooden Wonders](project-wooden-wonders) (2025): a beautiful pair, heritage and European youth.
- [Manifesto: living heritage; curiosity and experiment](manifesto)