Eclipse-City’s Associate, Xavier Jubier, appears in a Chinese newspaper in a report on the century´s longest solar eclipse event on Yangshan Island.

Xavier in Chinese newspaper (163 KB)

Mr. Pedro Russo, the IAU coordinator for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009), and the director of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory will officially open the Intersoles 2 conference and exhibition on July 21^st at the Pudong Shangri-La hotel. As the first speaker, Mr Russo will talk about 2009, A Unique Year of Astronomy.

Eclipse-City opens its liaison office in Shanghai with a staff of 15 event managers for the duration of the TSE 2009 event. Feel free to contact directly Mr. Liu Si, China Operations Manager.

Quyang Road 440, Room 2103
Hongkou District Shanghai (China)
T: +86 150 0184 3184

日食城公司上海联络处
东渡名人大厦, 2103
虹口区曲阳路440号，上海
电话： T: +86 150 0184 3184

Eclipse-City at City Weekend magazine

EC at CWM (200 KB)

Eclipse-City in Polish news

EC in Polish news (200 KB)

EC in Polish News 2 (200 KB)

Press release: Eclipse-City presents it’s first live eclipse live broadcast. For further details read the pdf announcement

Total Solar Eclipse Live on the Internet (92 KB)

Eclipse-City is pleased to announce that the European Business Circle is promoting Eclipse-City tours in Shanghai for their members.

Invitation Letter (50 KB)

Eclipse-City Managing Director, Mr. Federico Avellán Borgmeyer, together with Mrs. Ana Bru, Manager of Bru&Bru, Eclipse-City’s partner in Spain, offers a press conference in Barcelona, to promote its activity in Spain, Portugal and Andorra.

Interview in Spanish (3.8 MB)

Abstract in Nexotour.com (100 KB)

Abstract in La Vanguardia (82 KB)

The Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (Chinese Academy of Sciences) appoints Eclipse-City Ltd. as the official event management organization, to host and manage the “2009 International Year of Astronomy – Total Solar Eclipse Event” during July 21-22, 2009 in Shanghai region. This event includes the “2009 2^nd International Solar Eclipse Summit” at Shanghai Shangri-La Pudong Hotel on July 21, and the “2009 Total Solar Eclipse Observation” at Yangshan Island on July 22.
Some 500 to 1,000 local and international travelers will be there with Eclipse-City and Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, experiencing this event, which will be accompanied by some additional 2-3 million locals and 0.5 to 1.5 billion people, who will join the event via satellite TV or any other broadcast and communications media organized by both organizations and/or their partners.

Signed Agreement

Eclipse-City signs a partnership agreement with the Shangri-La Pudong Hotel in Shanghai to host InterSoles 2 and give accommodation to the Eclipse-City travelers.
The Shangri-La Pudong is one of Shanghai’s most prominent hotels, offers business and leisure travelers an incomparable award-winning combination of comfort, service and convenience. The hotel enjoys easy access to both Hongqiao and Pudong international airports and is also close to the tunnels and subways connecting Pudong (East Shanghai) to Puxi (West Shanghai). The Shangri-La Pudong has two distinct towers operating as one. The River Wing, which was built in 1998 has 575 well appointed guest rooms, is the only hotel in Shanghai that is sitting right in front of the legendary Huangpu River with the full stretch of the Bund. In 2005, to catch up with the skyline of the modern Pudong, the Shangri-La Shanghai open the contemporary Grand Tower, adding 375 well designed rooms that afford both the view of the modern skyline of Pudong as well as the Bund.
 

River Wing Lobby

River Wing Deluxe Room

Eclipse-City staff Liu Si visited the Sheshan Station Astronomical Observatory which is home to one of the leading observatories in China. This observatory was originally founded by the French Jesuit Mission on the top of the Sheshan Mountain in 1900. The Sheshan observatory has a 40cm double astrograph, which was the largest telescope in East Asia at that time. It is one of a few telescopes in the world that observed Halley’s comet both in 1910 and 1986.
 

Eclipse-City has been registered as the offcial member of the German Chamber of Commerce (GCC) in Shanghai, for reinforcing its business presence in China. Over 1,000 German and international companies and organizations have been involved into this community for improving their business performance and public relations in Shanghai and also other places in China. Being a member of the GCC, Eclipse-City will try to provide the best service for the incoming 2009 eclipse event in Shanghai, with receiving more professional assistance and first-hand information from the local community.
 

Right after the Chinese New Year in 2009, Eclipse-City opened its another liaison office at Shanghai city. This expansion is to reinforce Eclipse-City’s international presence in China, especially the Shanghai area, chosen as one of the best total solar eclipse observation locations in 2009. With more than ten years of experience about eclipse event and travel management, it will be the second time Eclipse-City runs its local event organization and implementation on-site in China (last year at Jiayuguan City, in the Gansu province). The Shanghai office will primarily focus on the 2009 eclipse programs operating, coordinating with local governments and suppliers, customer relations, etc. Liu Si has been appointed as the Operations Manager for our eclipse programs in Shanghai. He will be responsible for Shanghai office’s daily business operation, local coordination and program implementation.
 

Xavier will give a lecture during the SEW2009 (Solar Eclipse Workshop) held in New Delhi, India, from 2009 January 9^th to 11^th.

 

Eclipse-City’s new website layout is online with the 2009 eclipse tours.
 

On July 31^st, 2008 Eclipse-City successfully organized The First International Solar Eclipse Summit - Conference and Exhibition InterSoles 1 in the city of Jiayuguan (Gansu province). InterSoles 1 was hosted by the Tourism Administration of Gansu (Madam Zhang Shouxin, General Counsel) and the Jiayuguan Tourism Bureau (Mr. Li Yong, Director). Local and international eclipse interested parties attended the conference. For 2009, we intend to hold InterSoles 2 south of Shanghai. We expect more solar scientific and amateur conference attendants from all over the world.

For more detail information about InterSoles, please check Edutaiment.
 

News releases about The First Total Solar Eclipse Summit - Conference and Exhibition InterSoles 1 from local media (Source: Jiayuguan Daily, August 4^th 2008).

On August 1^st, 2008, Eclipse-City organized total solar eclipse observation activities in the Gobi Desert in the Xinjiang region. Totality duration was just under 2 minutes. Around 76 customers from USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Denmark, Canada and China joined this event with Eclipse-City for a unique and unforgettable experience.

WeiZiXia is a very remote place, a small town with less than 2000 people. The infrastructure is really difficult to accommodate 4000 international visitors at one time. However, through hard work by our Eclipse-City staff, we managed quite well! We attempted to provide our customers with a comfortable and safe environment under restrictions given from both local authorities and facilities. To make our camp life more interesting, we held an astronomy lecture for our customers. Mr. Bao - one of the most famous Chinese astronomy experts - talked about eclipses and ancient Chinese astronomy.

E-day began with a perfectly clear sky but later clouds started to come and moved quite fast. Finally they covered the sun just several minutes before the totality and then people started shouting at the clouds. It was very exciting! Maybe God heard their voices and moved the clouds away. Meanwhile, the totality started!
We hope all of our customers enjoyed this 3-day Eclipse-City camp life in WeiZiXia and we hope to welcome you again on one of our Eclipse-City tours in 2009!
 

Solar eclipse observation organized by Eclipse-City in WeiZiXia, Xinjiang province, China. (Source: Urumqi Daily, August 1^st 2008)

Eclipse-City, together with its technology partner Astro Native and its German distributor Eclipse-Reisen will provide for a LIVE BROADCAST of the lunar eclipse taking place in the Northern Hemisphere. Please don’t miss watching this event on our Website in the early morning hours on Thursday, February 21st from 2 a.m until 7 a.m. Central European Time (1 a.m. - 6.a.m. GMT).
 

Eclipse-City Associate Partner Xavier Jubier just viewed the 2008 annular solar eclipse through a thin layer of clouds from the Mount Vinson’s summit, Antarctica’s peak (4,897 meters). From his logbook via satellite phone: "However it was quite windy up there and taking eclipse pictures was a real challenge, not to mention various camera/lens problems. Came back safely to high camp after an exhausting 21-hour journey and now preparing to descend the headwall before the next storm comes in. The return to the base camp will likely be after the storm."
 

Xavier on the summit. Eclipse area in the background

Eclipse-City launches the First Total Solar Eclipse Summit - InterSoles 1.
InterSoles is intended for eclipse enthusiasts, who would like to enjoy the total solar eclipse and also attend the summit, around the eclipse event.

At the same time, InterSoles is especially intended for professional and amateur exhibitors and speakers, who wish to communicate with the professional, amateur and enthusiastic solar (eclipse) community in a professional and yet distinctive setting. InterSoles is planned to become an accompanying conference and show on all our upcoming total solar eclipse venues around the world in the coming years.
The First International Solar Eclipse Summit - InterSoles 1 will take place in Jiayuguan, in China’s Northwestern province of Gansu from 30-31 July 2008. The city of Jiayuguan will be hub and host for our eclipse viewing program. You will first enjoy 2 days of InterSoles 1 in the city of Jiayuguan, supplemented by sightseeing tours to enjoy the magnificence of China’s Great Wall at its westernmost front. On August 1st 2008 and some 100 km away from the city center, passing by cotton fields and China’s Space Centre, we will enjoy 1 minute and 50 seconds of totality in our specially built day camp in the Gobi Desert. After the eclipse, we will celebrate with a Gala Dinner in the typical Eclipse-City fashion, together with our Chinese hosts (for further information consult our special designed InterSoles program).

Eclipse-City Managing Director Federico Avellán Borgmeyer and his Assistant Mr. Liu Si met the Jiayuguan City Authorites to organize and host the First Total Solar Eclipse Summit - InterSoles 1 in the city of Jiayuguan on July 30-31 2008, prior to the total solar eclipse event, on August 1st 2008. "We have found a number of number of locations suitable and the support of the local authorities to host our event", so the Managing Director. "We welcome Eclipse-City at Jiayuguan", so the Director of Tourism and Mayor of the City.

Eclipse-City staff did also signed a distributor agreement with China Comfort Travel (Beijing), one of China’s leading tour operators (see picture on the right). CCT will sell all Eclipse-City tours in its 108 China branches. After signature, Eclipse-City staff visited the Ancient Beijing Observatory and met with its management.
Shortly after, Eclipse-City staff did also use the opportunity to train CCT sales branches in a major sales gathering in the city of Huanshang.
 

Mr. Federico Avellán Borgmeyer Managing Director Eclipse-City Ltd. and Mr. Zou Feng President CCT

Ancient Beijing Observatory

CCT sales branches - Training

Eclipse-City associate Xavier Jubier lecturing at Los Angeles Griffith Observatory during this year’s SEC 2007 (Solar Eclipse Conference).
Xavier and John Tilley (not present at the conference) gave a speach on Solar Eclipse Mapping & Circumstances - On and Off the Web.
Abstract

Location is one of the most important factors in selecting a viewing site for a solar eclipse and careful planning is required to increase the chances of success. Having good and flexible mapping tools is in this regard very important.
Since the 2004 Solar Eclipse Conference, stunning new applications - Google Maps, Google Earth and NASA World Wind - have become available. Solar Eclipse tracks and weather data can be overlaid onto the imagery of these free applications and this has become a key tool for solar eclipse enthusiasts. Quality eclipse maps can also be produced using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with readily available satellite imagery and geographical digital data.

This presentation will review the available data, its accuracy and the accuracy of displayed eclipse track calculations. Xavier demonstrated the use of "on-the-web" Google Maps and Google Earth to provide interactive local circumstances calculations and will share his current developments and plans for his web-site. The presentation will covered maps and eclipse tracks on GPS, mapping errors, available eclipse mapping software, use of a GIS to draw maps and finally John demonstrated a range of "off-the-web" mapping function using his and Luca Quaglia’s program "Solar Eclipse Explorer".

Over the last decade, 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 aim of the conference is to bring together professionals and amateurs, addicts, enthusiasts, and chasers, as with the mailing list and the