Fred Espenak

Fred Espenak
Fred Espenak in 2017
Fred Espenak in 2017
Born (1953-08-01) August 1, 1953 (age 71)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationAstrophysicist
Years active1978–2009[1]
SpousePatricia Totten
Websitemreclipse.com

Fred Espenak is a retired[1] emeritus[2] American astrophysicist. He worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center. He is best known for his work on eclipse predictions.[3]

He became interested in astronomy when he was 7–8 years old, and had his first telescope when he was around 9–10 years old.[1] Espenak earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Wagner College, Staten Island, where he worked in the planetarium. His master's degree is from the University of Toledo, based on studies he did at Kitt Peak Observatory of eruptive and flare stars among red dwarfs.[citation needed]

Espenak with his solar telescope

He was employed at Goddard Space Flight Center, where he used infrared spectrometers to measure the atmospheres of planets in the Solar System.[3] He provided NASA's eclipse bulletins starting in 1978. He is the author of several canonical works on eclipse predictions, such as the Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986–2035 and Fifty Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1986–2035,[1] both of which are standard references on eclipses.[3] The first eclipse he saw was the solar eclipse of March 7, 1970, which sparked his interest in eclipses,[3] and he has since seen over 20 eclipses.[1]

Together with Jean Meeus, he published the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses in 2006, which covers all types of solar eclipses (partial, total, annular, or hybrid) from 2000 BCE to AD 3000,[4] and the Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses in 2009, which lists all lunar eclipses (penumbral, partial, or total) in that time span.[5] Later, he published the more compact Thousand Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1501 to 2500,[6] the Thousand Year Canon of Solar Eclipses 1501 to 2500,[7] and the 21st Century Canon of Solar Eclipses.[8] He is also a co-author (with Mark Littmann and Ken Willcoxof) of Totality: Eclipses of the Sun.[3]

He was the co-investigator of an atmospheric experiment flown on Space Shuttle Discovery.[9]

He is also known as "Mr. Eclipse."[10] He gives public lectures on eclipses and astrophotography. Astronomical photographs taken by Espenak have been published in National Geographic, Newsweek, Nature, New Scientist, and Ciel et Espace [fr] magazines.[3]

He met Patricia Totten while in India in 1995. They married in 2006.[11]

He retired in 2009.[1] Asteroid 14120 Espenak was named in his honor in 2003.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference retirement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference emeritus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference twanight was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FiveMillenniumSolar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference FiveMillenniumLunar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference ThousandYearLunar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ThousandYearSolar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference 21CenturySolar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference spearstravel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference mreclipse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Joyce Lee and Spencer Bakalar, “He Met His True Love While Chasing Eclipses. Now They Chase Them Together”, “Time”, August 17, 2017.