2016 – Joint SEPA/WAC Conference
May 31 – June 4, 2016
On behalf of the W.A. Gayle Planetarium, we look forward to your visit to our facility!
The Gayle Planetarium is owned by the city of Montgomery and operated by Troy University. The fully-digital planetarium seats 159 comfortably under its fifty-foot Spitz dome.
Our Planetarium is an iconic fixture in historic Oak Park, home to 40 acres of gardens, a fishpond, playgrounds, and multiple walking trails. Situated in the center of the city, the Planetarium is just minutes away from a number of city attractions, historical landmarks, restaurants and the state’s premier shopping experience at the Shoppes at Eastchase.
The theme of this year’s SEPA/WAC conference is “Eclipsed by No Other”. We will all certainly be inundated with inquiries from news affiliates and the general public regarding the Solar Eclipse of 2017, and this conference will prepare you to be the subject matter experts.
Our keynote speaker will be Fred Espenak, aka Mr. Eclipse. A retired NASA astrophysicist, author, photographer, and eclipse expert, his talks capture his passion and excitement about this topic and astronomy. We are so honored and excited that he has agreed to come to the SEPA/WAC conference and share those things with us.
As is the norm with most SEPA/WAC conferences, you will be kept very busy. We will have a number of workshops, multiple papers, dome demonstrations, and much more.
Workshops will cover a variety of topics, including: the World Wide Telescope project, Preparing for the Eclipse, and Full-dome digital Photography tips, educational materials for your programs, and the fun of live shows.
We have a great field trip to the Wetumpka Meteor Crater planned as well. This field trip is less than an hour away, so it won’t be an all-day bus ride.