Fred “Mr. Eclipse” Espenak announced yesterday that he has been diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a progressive lung disease. The former NASA astrophysicist is renowned for contributions to advancing the scientific study and public appreciation of solar eclipses.
Espenak's love of the night sky began, like most astronomers, with a small telescope, a pre-teen gift from his parents. Espenek's journey chasing shadows began just days after his 17th birthday. WIth a nearly earned drivers license in hand, he drove the family car from Staten Island, New York to "a little town in North Carolina" to experience the March 7, 1970 total solar eclipse.
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“I promised myself that this could not possibly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience because it was just so beautiful, so spectacular.” he told Time Magazine in a 2017 interview. That goal was well acheived, standing in the path of more than two dozen eclipses across all seven continents.
If you've ever witnessed an eclipse, in or out of the path of totality, or even read about it, Fred had a little bit to do with how you learned when and where to experience it. He's authored several books including the canonical Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986 - 2035 (available in print on Amazon as well as a free download from NASA)
But his most impactful legacy is the five millennia of solar eclipses (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) detailed on NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's website. Information about eclipses, solar and lunar, here on pugongyingbo.com including the map above, are based on Fred's calculations during his NASA career.
Even if you don't have one of Fred's books on your shelf, you might have some of his work tucked away in a drawer somewhere.
The 2017 US Postal Service stamp celebrating the upcoming total solar eclipse stretching from coast to cosat, revealed a hidden photo of the Moon when activated by body heat, a first for the USPS. The image of the Sun's briallant corona was captured on March 29, 2006 from Jalu, Libya by Espenek who also was responsible for the Moon image printed in thermochromatic ink on the stamp
Fred annouced a Facebook post yesterday that he would be entering hospice care.
"I have had a marvelous life of eclipses, astronomy, a NASA career, and my wonderful wife Pat, the greatest love of my life.I wish those I leave behind many more years of clear eclipses and awe for the heavens." the 71 year old wrote.
Pat, a former high school chemistry teacher, had spent two decades trying to witness a total solar eclipse.
She missed out on the same 1970 eclipse that launched Fred’s lifelong pursuit, but friends convinced to her to stay in Pennsylvania cancelling plans to travel to North Carolina, assuring her the 90% partial eclipse was “good enough.” She would later regret the decision—especially after clouds spoiled her next attempt in July 1972. Decades later, they discovered they had likely been just a few miles apart along the eclipse path in Quebec.
Fred and Pat met in 1995 while in India, both pursuing the October 24 total solar eclipse. They stayed in touch in the years that followed, reconnecting in the Caribbean during the February 26, 1998 eclipse. They married in 2006.
In recent years, they retired to the Arizona Sky Village, a remote community in the eastern part of the state designed specifically for astronomers. The village includes its own domed observatory and enforces strict outdoor lighting regulations to preserve its pristine dark skies.
Their 2006 wedding was celebrated with an eclipse-themed cake and a playlist devoted to the Sun and Moon—featuring, of course, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”