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 Solar Eclipse Conference 2014 (SEC 2014)
 Sacramento Peak Observatory & Cloudcroft, United States of America

A Crossroad on Physics & Eclipses of the Sun

SEC 2014 Cloudcroft Group
Group in Cloudcroft, New Mexico

The Solar Eclipse Mailing List (SEML) and before the Solar Eclipse Newsletter (SENL) had been successful as a vehicle in bringing together solar eclipse enthusiasts, professionals and amateurs alike. The Solar Eclipse Conference in Antwerp (SEC 2000), October 2000, was an extension of the electronic contacts and was for sure a success. In two days over 35 lectures had been presented to 155 participants from 22 different countries. The Solar Eclipse Conference is repeated at non-central eclipse years. The international Solar Eclipse Conference of 2004 (SEC 2004) was held in August 2004 at the Open University of Milton Keynes, England. SEC 2004 had 115 delegates out of 20 different countries.
The international Solar Eclipse Conference (SEC 2007) was held at the renovated Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, USA. The program started Friday 24 August 2007 evening and ended Sunday 26 August 2007 afternoon. As icing on the cake, we had the opportunity to watch a total lunar eclipse on August 28 : visible in its entirety only from the western USA, New Zealand or eastern Australia and the Pacific Ocean.
The first three SECs were organized by Patrick & Joanne Poitevin, but at the end of SEC 2007 Patrick announced he would drop the ball.
The fourth international Solar Eclipse Conference (SEC 2011), was organized by SPACE, and held from 2011 December 15th to 17th in New Delhi, India.
The sixth international Solar Eclipse Conference (SEC 2018) will be held in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain from July 27 to 28th, 2018.

SEC 2014 Logo
SEC 2014 Sacramento Peak Observatory Group
Group in Sunspot at Sacramento Peak Observatory, New Mexico

Project Background |  Speakers |  Location |  Registration |  Sponsoring |  Partial Solar Eclipse |  Links |  Page "Eye Safety"
Project Background
SEC 2007 Xavier Jubier Solar Eclipse Mapping On Off Web
3rd International Solar Eclipse Conference
at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, USA
(25 August 2007 Xavier Jubier lecture)
SEC 2011 Xavier Jubier Mapping Planning Tools Solar Eclipses Pushing Boundaries
4th International Solar Eclipse Conference
at Rama Krishna auditorium in New Delhi, India
(16 December 2011 Xavier Jubier lecture)
Over the last few decades, there have been dramatic changes in solar eclipse traveling. Solar Eclipse specialists meet most of the time in the shadow of the Moon. Solar Eclipse meetings out of totality are rare, or are mainly focused on solar physics. The Solar Eclipse Mailing List and before the Solar Eclipse Newsletter has been successful as a vehicle in bringing together solar eclipse enthusiast, professionals and amateurs alike. Because there was no central eclipse in 2000 we had been presented with a perfect opportunity for an International Solar Eclipse Conference.

We have had this project in mind for some time, but mainly due to planning eclipse travels it has been put on hold. The aim of the conferences is to bring together professionals and amateurs, addicts, enthusiasts, and chasers, as with the mailing list and the newsletter, sharing information, knowledge, and experience. For the same reason we organized an international Solar Eclipse Conference in 2004 and 2007.

After four international Solar Eclipse Conferences (SEC 2000, SEC 2004, SEC 2007 and SEC 2011), we feel that still not all topics and subjects, related to solar eclipses have been presented and discussed. SEC 2014 will be the next opportunity to meet and discuss.

Two days of lectures, October 25th and 26th, were given at the Cloudcroft Lodge Resort in each of the disciplines : predictions, mathematics, solar physics, weather forecasting, eye safety, diameter measuring, edge and central, and ancient eclipse research. Of course the latest and forthcoming solar eclipses have been great topics of discussion, along with the past Venus Transit. On the 24th evening a welcome reception took place at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, is located to the northeast of El Paso, Texas, near the famous White Sands rocket development and testing area (there is also the White Sands National Monument and the Carlsbad Caverns National Park to visit), and the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot.

A two-day pre-conference option with practical presentations and sessions on solar observing and imaging, partial solar eclipse observations, and BBQ at Sacramento Peak Observatory was also organized. Due to space limitations the optional pre-conference was only available to a limited number of people.
 
Speakers
A number of international guest speakers were invited to give a lecture on their own specialized subject.

The topics in blue are all indoor presentations. The topics in orange are all outdoor demonstration under the pleasant winter Sun in the afternoon.

Pre-Conference Day 1: Thursday October 23rd, 2014 at Sacramento Peak Observatory (optional)
Time Title Speaker Duration Abstract Biography File
08:15-08:55 Continental breakfast 40mn
08:55-09:00 Announcements/Logistics  Patrick Poitevin 5mn   biography
09:00-09:40 Bringing Solar Science to School Children and the General Public  Roger Kennedy 30+10mn abstract biography
09:40-10:20 Tips and Techniques for Photographing Solar Eclipses  Fred Espenak 30+10mn abstract biography
10:20-10:50 Break with Snacks
10:50-11:30 How to Observe the Eclipse Safely with Eclipse Glasses  Ralph Chou 30+10mn abstract biography
11:30-12:10 Solar Eclipses at Sunrise/Sunset, Special Effects  Jörg Schoppmeyer 30+10mn abstract biography
12:10-12:45 Sacramento Peak Observatory Tour (optional)
12:30-13:30 Lunch (those on tour eat a bit later)
13:30-14:10 Solar Eclipse Observation: My Experience  Ján Sládečeck 30+10mn abstract biography
14:10-14:40 Break with Snacks
14:40-15:30 Prepare for Partial Solar Eclipse/Solar Observing
15:30-17:50 Partial Solar Eclipse Observing (first contact at 3:34pm, maximum at 4:45pm, last contact at 5:49pm)
17:50-18:30 Break to Pack-up
18:30-21:30 BBQ Dinner
Pre-Conference Day 2: Friday October 24th, 2014 at Sacramento Peak Observatory (optional)
Time Title Speaker Duration Abstract Biography File
08:15-08:55 Continental breakfast 40mn
08:55-09:00 Announcements/Logistics  Patrick Poitevin 5mn   biography
09:00-09:40 Landscape Eclipse Photography  Kris Delcourte 30+10mn abstract biography
09:40-10:20 Modelling the Solar Diameter from Light Curves Taken During Solar Eclipses  Jean-Pierre Barriot 30+10mn abstract biography
10:20-11:00 The Legacy of Solar Telescope Designer George A. Carroll  John Briggs 30+10mn abstract biography
11:00-11:30 Break with Snacks
11:30-12:10 When the Eclipse Comes Home  Derryl Barr 30+10mn abstract biography
12:10-12:45 Additional Sacramento Peak Observatory Tour (optional) - Solar observing for those not joining the tour (own telescopes)
12:45-13:45 Lunch (those on the tour eat a bit later)
13:45-15:35 Workshop TSE 2017  Jay Anderson,  Fred Espenak,
 Shadia Habbal,  Michael Zeiler
50mn      
15:35-16:05 Break with Snacks (during workshop for those wanted)
16:05-16:45 Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST): Science, Design and Current Status  Stephen Keil 30+10mn abstract biography
16:45-18:00 Travel to New Mexico Museum of Space History for Opening Reception SEC 2014
18:00-21:00 SEC 2014 Opening Reception at the New Mexico Museum of Space History – Catering kindly sponsored by TravelQuest
18:00-18:20 SEC 2014 Opening – Announcements  Patrick Poitevin 20mn   biography
21:00-21:30 Travel back to Cloudcroft Lodge Resort
21:30- Star Party at the Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Golf Course (Amateur Astronomers Group Alomogordo)
Conference Day 1: Saturday October 25th, 2014 at the Pavilion Hall outside the Cloudcroft Lodge Resort
Time Title Speaker Duration Abstract Biography File
07:30-08:30 Registrations 60mn
08:30-08:45 SEC 2014 Opening – Announcements  Patrick Poitevin 15mn   biography
08:45-09:20 Observing Solar Eclipse in Space: a Dream that Is Coming True  Hamid Djodeiri Khodashenas
 Soheil Malekzadeh
30+5mn abstract biography
09:20-09h55 The ISO Standard for Solar Viewers  Ralph Chou 30+5mn abstract biography
09:55-10:30 Outcomes of TSE 2012 in Australia and Thoughts for 2017  Terry Cuttle 30+5mn abstract biography
10:30-11:00 Break
11:00-11:35 Techniques Used and Results of High Resolution Video Obtained at the 2010 and 2012 TSEs  Nick James 30+5mn abstract biography
11:35-12:10 Eclipse Observations of the Solar Edge and Iradiance Variations  Serge Koutchmy 30+5mn abstract biography
12:10-13:40 Lunch
13:40-14:15 Saros Maths  Ray Brooks 30+5mn abstract biography
14:15-14:50 Lunar Eclipse Dust Accumulations  Tom Murphy 30+5mn abstract biography
14:50-15:25 Unique Science with Total Solar Eclipses  Shadia R. Habbal 30+5mn abstract biography
15:25-15:55 Break
15:55-16:30 White-Light Observations and Polarimetric Analysis of the Solar Corona During TSE 2008  Victor G. Fainshtein 30+5mn abstract biography
16:30-17:05 UMBRAPHILLIC ESOTERICA: A Retrospective Beyond Science and Technology  Glenn Schneider 30+5mn abstract biography
17:05-17:40 The Ultimate Chase Into the Stratosphere  Xavier M. Jubier 30+5mn abstract biography
17:50 End of first day proceedings
19:00-23:30 SEC 2014 Dinner at the Cloudcroft Lodge Resort
23:30- Star Party at the Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Golf Course (Amateur Astronomers Group Alomogordo)
Conference Day 2: Sunday October 26th, 2014 at the Pavilion Hall outside the Cloudcroft Lodge Resort
Time Title Speaker Duration Abstract Biography File
07:30-08:30 Registrations 60mn
08:30-08:45 SEC 2014 Opening Day 2 – Announcements  Patrick Poitevin 15mn   biography
08:45-09:20 Plans of the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) for 2017 and Other "Eclipse" Opportunities  David Dunham 30+5mn abstract biography
09:20-09:55 Science at Recent Annular and Total Solar Eclipses  Jay M. Pasachoff 30+5mn abstract biography
09:55-10:30 Do We Need Scientific Observations of the Solar Corona During Eclipses?  Vojtech Rušin 30+5mn abstract biography
10:30-11:00 Break
11:00-11:35 Automation of Eclipse Contact Timing Modifications Using Digital Lunar Profiles  Bill Kramer 30+5mn abstract biography
11:35-12:05 SEC 2014 Group Photo
11:35-12:05 The Old and the New: Thomas Jefferson’s Solar Eclipse,
Photographing Eclipses through a Pinhole and Eclipse-Induced Waves in the Ozone Layer
 Forrest M. Mims III 30mn abstract biography
12:05-13:05 Lunch
13:05-14:35 Chasing Shadows  Nelson Quan 25+5mn abstract biography
13:35-14:10 More Morsels  John Tilley 30+5mn abstract biography
14:10-14:45 Developing STEM lesson plans integrating Common Core standards in conjunction with the 2017 total solar eclipse  Charles Fulco 30+5mn abstract biography
14:45-15:20 New Frontiers in Eclipse Cartography  Michael Zeiler 30+5mn abstract biography
15:20-15:50 Break
15:50-16:25 Three Years of Eclipses: Where to Go?  Jay Anderson 30+5mn abstract biography
16:25-17:00 TSE 2017 MegaMovie Project  Scott McIntosh -> James McAteer 30+5mn abstract biography
17:00-17:35 Two New Eclipse Canons and an Eclipse Website  Fred Espenak 30+5mn abstract biography
17:35 End of second day proceedings and SEC 2014
 
Location
Loading the Google Map…

The Sacramento Peak Observatory is located 10 miles southeast of Alamogordo, New Mexico. The National Solar Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, for the benefit of the astronomical community.

Mailing Address :
NSO/Sacramento Peak
3010 Coronal Loop
Sunspot, NM 88349 USA

Contact numbers :
Offices +1 (575) 434-7000
Lat = 32° 47′ 14.6″ N; Long = 105° 49′ 04.4″ W
Elevation = 9,203 ft or 2,805 m

The Cloudcroft Lodge Resort provides accommodation at a discounted rate for speakers and delegates. Discount Code (35% off): 2786IV

Address :
601 Corona Place
Cloudcroft, NM 88317 USA

Contact numbers :
Offices +1 (800) 395-6343
SEC 2014 Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Pavilion Hall Golf Course Map SEC 2014 Xavier Jubier Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Pavilion Hall Outside
Outside the Pavilion Hall
SEC 2014 Xavier Jubier Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Pavilion Hall Outside
Outside the Pavilion Hall
SEC 2014 Xavier Jubier Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Pavilion Hall Inside
Inside the Pavilion Hall (conference room)
SEC 2014 Xavier Jubier Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Pavilion Hall Layout
Layout of the Pavilion Hall
SEC 2014 Xavier Jubier Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Reception
Cloudcroft Lodge Resort reception
SEC 2014 Xavier Jubier Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Tower View
Cloudcroft Lodge Resort tower view
SEC 2014 Xavier Jubier Cloudcroft Lodge Resort Restaurant
Cloudcroft Lodge Resort restaurant
Sacramento Peak Observatory Entrance
Sacramento Peak Observatory entrance
Sacramento Peak Observatory Visitor Center
Sacramento Peak Observatory visitor center
Sacramento Peak Observatory Sunwatcher
Sacramento Peak Observatory sunwatcher
Sacramento Peak Observatory Sunspot Solar System Model
Sacramento Peak Observatory
Sunspot solar system model
Sacramento Peak Observatory Littrow Spectrograph
Sacramento Peak Observatory
Littrow spectrograph
Sacramento Peak Observatory Richard Dunn Solar Telescope Schematic
Sacramento Peak Observatory
Richard B. Dunn solar telescope schematic
Sacramento Peak Observatory Richard Dunn Solar Telescope Moon
Sacramento Peak Observatory
Richard B. Dunn solar telescope with Moon
Sacramento Peak Observatory Richard Dunn Solar Telescope Inside
Sacramento Peak Observatory
inside the Richard B. Dunn solar telescope
Sacramento Peak Observatory Rotating Table Underside
Sacramento Peak Observatory
R. B. Dunn solar telescope rotating table underside
Apache Point Observatory Entrance
Apache Point Observatory entrance
Apache Point Observatory Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5 Meter Telescope
Apache Point Observatory
Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5-meter
Apache Point Observatory Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5 Meter Telescope
Apache Point Observatory
Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5-meter
Among the other attractions related to astronomy in the area, we can mention the following:
- the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico,
- the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in New Mexico,
- the Chaco Canyon NHP in New Mexico.
Then for the scenic landscape one should visit the White Sands National Monument, the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and the Spaceport America (by 2014, the Spaceport will be operating suborbital flights by Virgin Galactic). They are all within a 3-hour drive.

The city of Alamogordo, home to the New Mexico Museum of Space History, is adjacent to White Sands Missile Range which can be considered to be the birthplace of the U.S. rocket technology. After WWII, the U.S. brought Werner von Braun and captured german rocket engineers to White Sands from where they launched a series of V-2 rockets. The museum has many artifacts from the U.S. space program and an IMAX theater with a planetarium. The area around Alamogordo is a desert, but the mountains overlooking the city and where the observatories are located are cooler and covered with forest. The New Mexico Space Trail will show you 52 historic sites.
The SEC 2014 Opening Reception will be held at the Museum. Self-serve and a few tables and chairs are on the first floor. The museum is an excellent venue for an evening reception and the view is spectacular! Everyone can mingle and walk through the museum.

Alamogordo can offer a wide range of accommodations and the Lodge at Cloudcroft is about a 30-minute drive up the mountain for those who desire a unique setting on the mountain ridge top. The area around Cloudcroft has dark skies and the sky is often clear. Several well-known amateur astronomers live in the Cloudcroft area and operate private observatories.

The closest major airports are at Albuquerque, about a three-hour drive and El Paso, Texas, about 90 minutes away.

A wee bit further away one can visit a few other solar observatories:
- the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona,
- the Big Bear Solar Observatory in California,
- the Mt. Wilson Observatory in California (where we had our opening session for SEC 2007).

And lets not forget all the national parks that are much less crowded at this time of the year.
 
Registration
Want to join us? Then sign up now!
 
Sponsoring
Be a Diamond, Gold, Silver or Bronze Sponsor. If you wish to sponsor the conference, please contact us.



Diamond Sponsor
(over USD 10,000)
Gold Sponsor
(from USD 2,000 to 10,000)
Silver Sponsor
(from USD 400 to 2,000)
Bronze Sponsor
(under USD 400)
  TravelQuest
American Astronomical Society (AAS) via Rick Fienberg
Jay Anderson
British Astronomical Association (BAA) via Sheridan Williams
Michael Gill
Hamid Khodashenas
Rainbow Symphony via Mark Margolis
Ricardo Alcoser
Bengt Alfredsson
Amateur Astronomical Group (Alamogordo)
Audie Barnette
Derryl Barr
John Beattie
Stephen Bedingfield
Fred Bruenjes
Jens Buus
Greg Buchwald
Keiko Chaki
Ralph Chou
Terry Cuttle
Kris Delcourte
Jackie Diehl
David Dunham
Joan Dunham
Letitia Ferrer
Lloyd Franklin
Jay Friedland
Thomas Goodey
Joel Harris
Jan Hellemans
Steve Keil
David Larson
Mark Littmann
Robert Lucas
Robert Minor
Joel Moskowitz
Richard Nugent
Derald Nye
Jay Pasachoff
Luca Quaglia
Robert Ray
Torsten Rothenwaldt
Eckehard Schmidt
Larry Stevens
John Tilley
Nick Turner
Jen Winter
Michael Zeiler
 
Partial Solar Eclipse
On October 23rd a partial solar eclipse was visible from the Western USA and Sacramento Peak Observatory. The weather was gorgeous as it is usually at that time of the year.
October Mean Afternoon Cloud Cover
Partial Solar Eclipse 2014 October 23 Sacramento Peak Observatory
Partial eclipse at 21:46 UTC
(12 minutes after first contact)

Partial Solar Eclipse 2014 October 23 Sacramento Peak Observatory
Partial eclipse at 22:46 UTC
(just after maximum)

Partial Solar Eclipse 2014 October 23 Sacramento Peak Observatory
Partial eclipse at 23:38 UTC
(12 minutes before fourth contact)

 
Links
Sacramento Peak Observatory
New Mexico Museum of Space History
White Sands National Monument
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Apache Point Observatory
Project Background |  Speakers |  Location |  Registration |  Sponsoring |  Partial Solar Eclipse |  Links |  Page "Eye Safety"

Last page update on October 24, 2014.
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