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Solar diameter measurements from eclipses as a solar variability proxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2016

David W. Dunham
Affiliation:
International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA), 7913 Kara Ct., Greenbelt, MD 20770-3016, USA email: dunham@starpower.net
Sabatino Sofia
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, Yale Univ. (retired), Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA email: sabatino.sofia@yale.edu
Konrad Guhl
Affiliation:
IOTA/European Section, Archenhold Obs., Alt-Treptow 1, 12435 Berlin, Germany email: kguhl@astw.de
David Herald
Affiliation:
IOTA, 3 Lupin Place, Murrumbateman, NSW 2582, Australia email: drherald@bigpond.net.au
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Abstract

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The widths of total solar eclipse paths depends on the diameter of the Sun, so if observations are obtained near both the northern and southern limits of the eclipse path, in principle, the angular diameter of the Sun can be measured. Concerted efforts have been made to obtain contact timings from locations near total solar eclipse path edges since the mid 19th century, and Edmund Halley organized a rather successful first effort in 1715. Members of IOTA have been making increasingly sophisticated observations of the Baily's bead phenomena near central solar eclipse path edges since 1970.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

References

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