CCOSMICOSMIC MMESSENGERESSENGER AAPRILPRIL 22017/8017/8

FRED ESPENAK, AKA MR. ECLIPSE, TO SPEAK By Joe Wright

he Astronomical Society of Kansas City will Jean Meeus of Five Millennium Canon of Solar host Fred Espenak on April 14, 2017, in Royall Eclipses, which covers all types of solar eclipses T Hall on the campus of UMKC. He is a retired (partial, total, annular and hybrid) from 2000 BC to AD emeritus American astrophysicist who worked at the 3000. He is also a co-author (with Mark Littmann and Goddard Space Flight Center, though he is best Ken Willcox) of “Totality: Eclipses of the Sun.” He was known for his work on eclipse predictions. the co-investigator of an atmospheric experiment Espenak became interested in astronomy when he fl own on . was seven or eight years old and got his fi rst telescope He gives public lectures on eclipses and astro- whenw he was around nine or photophy. Astronomical photographs taken by tent years old. All through Espenak have been published in the National Geo- elementarye and high school graphic, Newsweek, Nature, New Scientist and Ceil heh maintained his interest in et Espace. He retired in 2009. 14120 Espe- astronomiya which lead him to nak was named in his honor in 2003. a bachelor’s degree in phys- icsi from Wagner College, April 14, 2017 StatenS Island, N.Y., where he 7:00 P.M. workedw in the planetarium. University of Missouri-Kansas City HisH master’s degree is from the Royall Hall, Room 111 UniversityU of Toledo in Ohio 5200 Charlotte Rd., Kansas City, Mo. andand is based on studies heh did at Kitt Peak Observatory of eruptive and fl are stars among red dwarfs. Books available for purchase and signing He was employed at Goddard Space Flight Center, include: Eclipse Bulletin: Total where he used infrared spectrometers to measure of 2017 August 21, by Fred Espenak and Jay the atmosphere of planets in the . Anderson; Road Atlas for the Total Solar The fi rst eclipse he saw was the solar eclipse of Eclipse of 2017, by Fred Espenak and Total March 7, 1970, which sparked his interest in eclipses Eclipse or Bust! A Family Road Trip, by Patricia and he has since seen over 20 eclipses. He created Espenak and published NASA’s eclipse bulletins series from 1993 to 2009 and authored several canonical works The Warkoczewski Observatory will be open on eclipse predictions, such as the Fifty Year Canon following the talk, weather permitting. of Solar Eclipses: 1986–2035 and Fifty Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1986–2035, both of which are This event made possible through a matching fund grant from standard references on eclipses. He is co-author with Missouri Space Grant Consortium.

FOR SALE $4,500.00 QUESTAR 3.5-INCH DUPLEX FUN FACT OF THE MONTH STANDARD with leather case, travel cover, booklet, other issing the ASKC calendar? Want to access all kinds of neat accessories. astro information? Register for the Night Sky Network. Just Includes QUESTAR FULL Mclick this link and complete the form. If you are unable to DIAMETER GLASS SOLAR access the link, go to nightsky.jpl..gov and enter Kansas City in the FILTER in wooden case. Perfect location search bar. You will see the Astronomical Society of Kansas eclipse instrument. City in the menu on the right. Select the club name and click “Register” Will deliver to KC area. Very clean to complete the form. An NSN coordinator will approve the request, good condition. and you will receive confi rmation via email. Note that your profi le will remain private unless you opt to make it public. Contact George Allen You must join NSN to access the 402-690-9245 or A ASKC calendar. [email protected]