1981-2026 45 years SIDC retrospective meeting

3 Jun 2026, 12:20 → 5 Jun 2026, 18:00 UTC

Tent near the Meridian Room (Observatoire)

In 2026, we celebrate two significant milestones: the 200th anniversary of the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) and the 45th anniversary of the SIDC. These are not just institutional achievements—they also reflect the dedication and contributions of all the people who have worked (or are still working) at SIDC and made their contributions in the past 45 years.

 

To reflect on this shared history, we invite all current and former SIDC colleagues for the 2026 ROB/SIDC Retrospective Conference. This 3-day event is planned from noon on Wednesday, June 3rd to the evening of Friday, June 5th,  featuring sessions highlighting different SIDC activities, and concluding with a BBQ on site at ROB.

 

The conference will be a unique opportunity to reconnect, celebrate, and look back on the achievements during your time at ROB/SIDC—and beyond.

 

Attendance is by invitation only, and we understand that for some, this may be a business trip, while for others, it may be a personal visit. While we cannot provide travel support, we can explore ways to support visitors with local accommodation. Registration is free and includes coffee breaks and sandwich lunches if you register for it.

 

We look forward to welcoming you!

Wednesday, 3 June

12:30 Sandwich lunch

1 Logistics

Where/What/When

Speaker: David Berghmans (Royal Observatory of Belgiunm)

2 Welcome

Opening and word from a former SIDC colleague and now ROB Director

Speaker: Ronald Van der Linden (Royal Observatory of Belgium)

3 The ROB/SIDC historical timeline

An interactive group activity throughout the meeting

Speakers: Elke D'Huys (Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence), Petra Vanlommel (STCE)

4 Humain, history & current activities

Speakers: Antonio Martínez Picar (Royal Observatory of Belgium), Christophe Marqué (STCE)

5 USET, history & current activities

Speaker: Sabrina Bechet (Royal Observatory of Belgium)

16:10 Coffee

6 SILSO, history and current activities

Speaker: Laure Lefevre (Royal Observatory of Belgium)

7 Shipping Software People Trust using the Scientific Method

Speaker: Ruben De Visscher

17:40 Walk through SIDC, visit telescopes, forecast room, laboratory

Follow your tour guide: Petra Vanlommel

Thursday, 4 June

09:00 Coffee

8 26 years of Space Weather Operations

Speaker: Jesse Andries (Royal Observatory of Belgium)

9 Through a looking glass

Speaker: Eva Robbrecht

10 Light reflection after ROB

Speaker: Vincent Malisse

11:00 Coffee

11 Perspectives from profit over social to non-profit

Speaker: Andy Devos

12 From Space Weather Research to the Best Ever Coronagraph

Speakers: Andrei Zhukov (Royal Observatory of Belgium), Luciano Rodriguez (ROB)

12:30 Sandwich lunch

13:30 Walk through SIDC, visit telescopes, forecast room, laboratory

Follow your tour guide: Petra Vanlommel

13 The making of EUI & 6 years of operations

Speaker: David Berghmans (Royal Observatory of Belgiunm)

14 Bridging worlds: Connecting the ROB experience to the EU science policy

Speaker: Ali Benmoussa

15 Mutatis mutandis

Speaker: Jean-Francois Hochedez

15:30 Coffee

16 My journey within the Solar Orbiter mission: from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager to the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment and the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays

Speaker: Susanna Parenti (CEA)

17 How a less-than-two-years, pre-PROBA2 stay at ROB led me to speak here and now

Speaker: Matthieu Kretzschmar

18 SWAP and the Nature of the Middle Corona

Speaker: Dan Seaton

19 From EIT abuse, over SWAP ghosts and Proba-2 operational adventures, to a large, complex but brilliant and unique solar observatory

Speaker: Anik De Groof

Friday, 5 June

20 SIDC Quizz

Speakers: Dr Dimitrios Millas (STCE/SIDC-ROB), Laurent Dolla (Royal Observatory of Belgium)

BBQ

This BBQ is organized for all ROB employees and all participants of the SIDC2026 Retrospective meeting. It is your chance to also meet former colleagues of other departments of ROB. Even for a BBQ, you can submit a contribution. Maybe you want to bring a toast?