Fred Espenak | |
|---|---|
 Fred Espenak in 2017 | |
| Born | (1953-08-01)August 1, 1953 (age 71) |
| Occupation | Astrophysicist |
| Years active | 1978–2009[1] |
| Spouse | Patricia Totten |
| Website | mreclipse |
Fred Espenak is a retired[1]emeritus[2] Americanastrophysicist. He worked at theGoddard Space Flight Center. He is best known for his work oneclipse 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 fromWagner College,Staten Island, where he worked in theplanetarium. His master's degree is from theUniversity of Toledo, based on studies he did atKitt Peak Observatory of eruptive and flare stars amongred dwarfs.[4]
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He was employed atGoddard Space Flight Center, where he usedinfrared spectrometers to measure the atmospheres of planets in theSolar System.[3] He providedNASA's eclipse bulletins starting in 1978. He is the author of several canonical works on eclipse predictions, such as theFifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986–2035 andFifty Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1986–2035,[1] both of which are standard references on eclipses.[3] The first eclipse he saw was thesolar eclipse of March 7, 1970, which sparked his interest in eclipses,[3] and he has since seen over 20 eclipses.[1]
Together withJean Meeus, he published theFive 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,[5] and theFive Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses in 2009, which lists all lunar eclipses (penumbral, partial, or total) in that time span.[6] Later, he published the more compactThousand Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1501 to 2500,[7] theThousand Year Canon of Solar Eclipses 1501 to 2500,[8] and the21st Century Canon of Solar Eclipses.[9] He is also a co-author (withMark Littmann andKen Willcoxof) ofTotality: Eclipses of the Sun.[3]
He was the co-investigator of an atmospheric experiment flown onSpace Shuttle Discovery.[10]
He is also known as "Mr. Eclipse."[11] He gives public lectures on eclipses and astrophotography. Astronomical photographs taken by Espenak have been published inNational Geographic,Newsweek,Nature,New Scientist, andCiel et Espace [fr] magazines.[3]
He met Patricia Totten while in India in 1995. They married in 2006.[12]
He retired in 2009.[1]Asteroid14120 Espenak was named in his honor in 2003.[3]
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