The development of space technologies is a strong engine for the development of technologies in general, said Ivanka Getsova – Momcheva from the Proxima Astroclub in Sliven

The development of space technology is a very strong driver for the development of technology in general. Ivanka Getsova – Momcheva from the “Proxima” astroclub said this today at the BTA Press Club in Sliven, who was present at the presentation of the April issue of LIK magazine on the topic “Bulgarian Footprint in Space”. She is a physicist by education, specializing in astronomy. She worked as a teacher in Yambol, Sliven and Varna.
“There are voices that say that it is not necessary to invest so much money for space research and flights, Momcheva pointed out. For the needs of cosmonautics, the technique is minimized and many of these small devices that are used in our everyday life have been developed. This also applies to the GPS system. According to the laws of motion of the planets, the space satellites discovered by people who are engaged in astronomy move.
Her interest in astronomy was born in her childhood years. “Maybe because I lived in a small town where there was a gorgeous starry sky, not like in the big cities, Ivanka Getsova – Momcheva shared. Maybe the teachers who taught me guided me.” She remembers writing an essay in the sixth grade about her dream profession, which for her was to be an astronomer. “I had written that even if there was an opportunity, I would fly into space and write books about what I saw. Part of this dream – to study astronomy and engage, even as an educator, to guide young people to this interesting science , it came true.”
Momcheva was involved in the training of students in astronomy in Sliven from 1981 to 2010. For nine years she worked in the planetarium in Varna. “For these 29 years, I cannot say how many children have passed through our clubs, but a part of them, the most enthusiastic, became professional scientists, astronomers and continue the Bulgarian and Sliven trail in astronomy.” When asked if young people really have an interest, she pointed out that there is a superficial interest in some young people, but there are also those who want to delve deeper into this matter. “This interest should be stimulated, more and more technologies are entering our world and it is good for young people to master these sciences,” she believes.
Ivanka Getsova-Momcheva will present her book “Star Stories” on April 25 at the Zora library in Sliven. She told a BTA reporter: “This book was conceived quite a long time ago, with the idea being to connect the seasonal changes in nature with the starry sky, to tell some of the myths, to draw the attention of children and their parents who may be experiencing difficulty when they have to answer their children’s questions. The book has an artistic text, but it has illustrations of the four seasons, especially the constellations. There is a short glossary of terms with popular explanations, such as what is a black hole, a white dwarf, nebula, constellation, etc. The main character is a child who is interested in astronomy and becomes an astronomer when he grows up. The idea is that dreams can be achieved when we pursue them hard enough.”
The Astroclub “Proxima” was established in 2007. Astrocalendar has been published since the time when there was an astronomical observatory in Sliven – in 1979. “Many of the colleagues appreciate it, it is useful for organizing observations, for the physics and astronomy offices, he said more Ivanka Getsova-Momcheva. After some transformations of the observatory, the astro club took over the functions of the observatory. To date, it is distributed not as a book, but as a file. In our spare time, we organize observations, contests.”
The Bulgarian Telegraph Agency presented today the new issue of LIC in the “Maxim” hall in the agency’s building, and the event was held jointly via video link in the other national press clubs of BTA in the country and abroad. The publication was inspired by the 45th anniversary of the flight into Earth orbit of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut, Georgi Ivanov, which took place on April 10.