Yesterday in Agios Kirikos Ikaria about Makis Fudulis he lifted his head and looked up at the sky. Of his 76 years on this planet, he spent most of his time observing celestial bodies thanks to his father’s love for astronomy, but the August Full Moon never ceased to fascinate him. However, as for many amateur astronomers, so for Mr. Foudoulis, yesterday’s sky-watching took the form of a final farewell to Dionysius Simopoulos, a teacher who has always been an “amateur”, their nearest star.

“They were in his pocket”

In the late 1950s, in Ikaria, his father took him on a summer vacation to Karavostamos. “I remember seeing the northern sky, the stars over Chios, my father, a physicist, explaining the constellations to me, and the sight fascinated me,” recalls Mr. Foudulis. “Then there was a course in cosmography at school, which fascinated me. The same with Dimitrios Zalouhos’ book The Universe, a publishing miracle.” Although he eventually studied veterinary medicine, astronomy remained his secret passion. “To be honest, talking about the stars with girls was a strong point,” he laughs. “When I was in Buenos Aires, I was looking for Alpha Centauri. And while I was in England, I always watched Night Sky, the BBC’s monthly astronomical television program with Sir Patrick Moore. I watched him like the Americans Carl Edward Sagan and Neil de Grasse Tyson. Of course, Simopoulos had it all in his pocket,” he comments. “It was something extraordinary. My children and I are also living shareholders of the Eugenides Planetarium and Observatory, we have been many times. The way he popularized science, his reports, his speeches were very impressive. I especially remember when he talked about the dark sky paradox. If there are so many stars on it, why are they so dark? His presence in our lives was intense and continuous. Through the way he spoke, he made many people fall in love with astronomy and discover who we are, stardust.”

First contact

“Truth be told, it was a powerful card to educate the girls about the stars.”

From Ioannina Konstantinos Sakkas, also an amateur astronomer and founder with his brother Christos of the Planetareum On the Go, with which so many children across Greece have touched the stars, he also bids farewell to Dionysios Simopoulos with love and gratitude. “To him I owe my first introduction to astronomy, when I was fascinated by the Red Giant White Dwarfs show as a primary school student,” says “K”. “Later, when I ended up in Athens and bought my first telescope, I remember looking at literally every projection available at the Planetarium. I remember his kindness and kind words, as well as his presentations and speeches that captivated the audience. As director of the planetarium, Mr. Dionysus Simopoulos helps amateur astronomers by providing us with venues for events and conferences of the Hellenic Association of Amateur Astronomers. He will always be an inspiration to me, both for his contributions to the spread of astronomy and for his general attitude towards life.”

Boy Scouts

Even those who did not know him personally felt that they had much in common. Per Panagiotis Kazazidis, an amateur astronomer, so he began his acquaintance with the starry sky. “We had something in common with Dionysius Simopoulos, a scout! As a city kid, I didn’t see the night sky as I should have, but I was lucky enough to be in the Boy Scouts and during the tours I saw this wonderful night sky with thousands of stars.” Simopoulos, in his unique way, described many times that night in 1960, when, as a scout, he saw the starry sky through a telescope from Amphiklea, he was fascinated and began to pursue his dream. “I will remember him as someone who wanted to inspire you to look up to the sky, to understand who you are, and through that, to fulfill your dreams. And in the end he carried out the plan of the founder of Scouting, Lord Baden Powell, he tried and left the world a little better than he found it! I wish him a happy journey among the stars…”

teacher with student

OUR Pavlos Castanas it belongs to lovers of astronomy only in the true sense of the word, lovers of art, as Simopoulos used to say. A physicist with a master’s degree in astrophysics, since 2017 he runs the astronomy channel Astronio, one of the most successful on Greek YouTube, with 250,000 subscribers. It was through this activity that on September 19th he met Simopoulos for the first time. “I’ve known him since childhood and admired him, but we first met at an event at the Planetarium for Science Channels,” – says Mr. Katsanas “K”.. “Two months later, we did an hour and a half interview with Astronio, which was a huge success. No effects, nothing, just talk about the past, present and future of man in space.” Then the two became close, they began to communicate regularly. Simopoulos followed the work of his young colleague and advised him. “He was in awe of YouTube, how effective it is at spreading science, that you don’t have to bring the world, you go to their homes.” When Castanas presented his first book in Patras on December 21st, Simopoulos was overwhelmed by the treatment. “I told him that he did not need to come, he replied: “I will come standing.” The student-teacher relationship turned into a love relationship. Man has always wanted to provide. His generosity to new colleagues, the way he opened doors for others, was a rare virtue. As a teacher, he had a talent for making complex concepts clear, but the friendship and humanity I felt from him is something I will carry with me forever.”