Luca Quaglia

ABSTRACT

The eclipse solar radius is one of the fundamental quantities required to perform eclipse computations. Until fairly recently, its value has remained anchored to the one established by the German astronomer Auwers over a century ago. This presentation will survey the experimental efforts to improve our knowledge of this fundamental quantity by observing solar eclipses. Focus will be given to the measurements performed by the Besselian Elements Team, mainly relying on observing the eclipse flash spectrum from the eclipse path edges. The presentation will then explore the impact and consequences of these measurements on the accuracy of eclipse computations and eclipse mapping.

BIO

I fell in love with total solar eclipses in 1999, and I have been under the Moon’s umbra ten times in the last quarter of a century. Alongside observing solar eclipses, I have explored and given contributions to the field of eclipse computations and to the study of eclipse periodicities and variations. As part of the Besselian Elements Team, I participate in the ongoing effort to measure the solar radius during solar eclipses. I live in Sydney, Australia, and work in data and analytics.