Cosmin Sorin Miclos: A Life Dedicated to Exploring the Universe

Cosmin Sorin Miclos is a Space Ambassador for ESERO Romania, a project of the European Space Agency, and the founder of Asociatia Ucenicul Astronom (The Astronomer’s Apprentice Association), a non-governmental organization focused on non-formal education in astronomy. Its main objectives are to inspire and educate young people in this fascinating field.

Cosmin has been practicing observational astronomy for over 27 years. He serves as an evaluator for the observational test in the National and International Olympiads of Astronomy and Astrophysics, organized by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research. As an ESERO Ambassador, he facilitates the integration of space education within local educational communities.

Additionally, Cosmin Sorin Miclos is a youth worker accredited by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and he also works in the railway sector. He has been actively involved in organizing and supporting astronomy camps and summer schools for young people.

Recently, under his leadership, Asociația Ucenicul Astronom achieved a national first in the field of astronomical observation by using a revolutionary optical system that allows real-time image projection.

Cosmin Sorin Miclos has been invited to various shows and events to share his knowledge and experience in astronomy, thereby contributing to the promotion and popularization of this science in Romania.

Let’s learn more about Cosmin, the path he has carved around this great passion, and the achievements he has accomplished so far.

C&B: How did you choose this path, what were the first steps, and where did they lead you?
Cosmin: I believe it was a combination of passion and an inner calling. In the beginning, astronomy was just a hobby, born out of a desire for knowledge and a deep fascination since childhood. Although astronomers gaze at the sky, their feet remain firmly planted on the ground – we know our place in the universe well.

Unfortunately, in Romania, it is very difficult to become a professional astronomer. There are many reasons, one of which is the lack of a specific COR (Romanian Classification of Occupations) code for the profession of astronomer. Instead, there is a code for astrologer (516101). However, in the list of professions, there is a COR code assigned to astronomy researchers (211108), which represents a completely different professional category.

We managed to overcome these administrative barriers in 2016, with the founding of the Astronomer’s Apprentice Association (Asociatia Ucenicul Astronom).

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence?
Cosmin: I’m an apprentice who, through passion and dedication, wants to lift your gaze to the sky, toward the infinite horizon of the universe.

C&B: Have you worked in fields different from your current activity? Have you stayed on the same path or made radical changes?
Cosmin: My professional career is indirectly connected to astronomy, in that it also involves working at night.

For over 25 years, I’ve been active in the railway sector, holding various positions. Currently, I am a Station Traffic Chief within the Romanian National Railway Company “CFR” SA.

I completed my Master’s program in Environmental Engineering and Quality Management in the Railway Sector at the Faculty of Transport, Politehnica University of Bucharest. I’ve always liked combining the useful with the enjoyable, and that is reflected in my dissertation paper, titled “Light Pollution Generated by the Railway System and Its Effects on the Environment.” It represents a symbiosis between astronomy and transportation—a blend of my passion for the sky and my professional career.

C&B: What were the key, defining moments in your astronomy journey?
Cosmin: The most important moment in my amateur astronomy career was meeting the president of the Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM), Mr. Valentin Grigore. He guided me to take the next step and establish a legal entity.

Thus, together with three childhood friends, I laid the foundation for the Astronomer’s Apprentice Association in 2016.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you’ve transformed over time?
Cosmin: My journey began when I was a child, with a question directed toward the starry sky: “I wonder why!?” So, in 1998, with a star chart that I adapted from a stellar atlas, I opened my first astronomy observation notebook, where I wrote down all my observations.

Now, after all these years, all I can say is that I’m grateful to everyone who guided and supported me in following and developing my passion for astronomy.

Back in my youth, if someone had told me that I would one day become an evaluator for the observational test in the National and International Olympiads of Astronomy and Astrophysics, organized by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, I wouldn’t have believed them—I probably would’ve told them they were dreaming.

C&B: What motivates you the most in your work?
Cosmin: The celestial sphere unites us, regardless of the social or cultural background of the one who gazes upon it. The sense of belonging to a shared universe that starry nights provide is truly unique.

Every “drop of light” that reaches us from the distant Universe carries a story worth telling and hearing. And the celestial sphere is overflowing with such stories.