Hello, Oana. Thank your for accepting to answer to our questions. What full time job do you have and what are the extra activities ?

As a full time job, I am PR Executive at a local agency of public relations, part of an international communication group. Also, I’m a member of the Astroclub Bucharest, where my mission is to maintain the relations with the press, to promote the activities of the club and to identify new opportunities of collaboration with other entities from the whole astronomic world.

Before talking about our subject, we talked with Oana about the success of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA 2009), about events organized around here and about women and science. We are glad to find out the women have the same chances to take a career in science, but many of them don’t even think about it. Why? Because of an anthropologic limitation of women since childhood: boys play with cars and girls with dolls. Women aren’t considered unable neither discriminated. Also, for IYA 2009 it was organized an event called: “She is astronomer”, which promoted the results of women astronomers and encouraged young ladies to choose astronomy as a scientific career. Now proceeding:

Will an asteroid hit us or not? Many people are scared about the hypothesis of an impact with an asteroid. Although no astronomer said, people affirm: In year 2012 (for example) the Earth will be hit by an asteroid and we will all die. But, prophecies are launched. Who shall we believe?

Asteroids are objects studied en-detail by the astronomers. A team of amateur astronomers from Romania, coordinated by Dr. Ovidiu Văduvescu discovered over 80 asteroids. All asteroids discovered are studied en-detail and their orbit is calculated with precision to determine whether they are a danger for Earth or not. At this moment there are 400000 asteroids discovered, where only 100 are potentially hazardous for Earth. Even though when can calculate in time the moment they will be closer.  It’s less probable to be hit by surprise because there are 24 hour “eyes” looking at the sky looking for such objects.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found out: at a local TV channel they said that…”The moon will disappear from the sky”, based on observations made by Swiss astronomers. What do you think about this?

What is condemnable is the title of the news. Is a technique used by the journalists to attract readers. Of course, the Moon won’t disappear from the sky, only goes away and that’s why apparently and not the real one it’s diameter is smaller. And yes, once going away, the seaside effects get a lower intensity, but this is not a reason of panic, because changes are progressive and impossible to be realized.

Thank you very much for the time taken and congratiulations for all the events organized here in Bucharest.