Fred Espenak (born in 1953) is an American astrophysicist. He works at the Goddard Space Flight Center. He is best known for his work on eclipse predictions.

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.

Espenak 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. He also publishes eclipse bulletins for NASA. He is co-author with Jan Meeus of Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, October 2006. This work covers all types of solar eclipses (partial, total, annular, or hybrid) from 2000 BC to AD 3000.

Asteroid 14120 Espenak is named in his honour.

[edit] References

• NASA - Espenak's Eclipse Home Page
• Spear's Travel - Fred Espenak
• GSFC - Fred Espenak

[edit] External links

• Fred Espenak as Mr. Eclipse
• Espenak biography and image gallery at The World at Night

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