Fred Espenak - Public Lectures and Speaking Engagements

Index
A Partial List of Lecture Topics
A Brief Biography of Fred Espenak
Public Talks in 2020
Public Talks in 2017
Public Talks in 2016
Public Talks in 2015
Public Talks in 2014

Fred Espenak has been invited to speak on eclipses around the world including venues in England, France, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Libya, Egypt, Turkey, India, China and even Antarctica. Targeted at a general public audience, Fred's talks capture his passion and excitement about eclipses and astronomy. The titles and descriptions of some of his lectures appear below.

With the growing interest in the upcoming 2017 total eclipse through the USA, the demand for speakers on this event is increasing quickly.

Fred is now available to speak at your event, meeting or convention. Travel expenses and an honorarium are requested from the host organization. For more information about arranging a speaking engagement, please .

A Partial List of Lecture Topics

by Fred Espenak
  • Eclipse Chasing - Espenak was first bitten by the lectures eclipse bug back in 1970. With four decades of experience chasing over 24 eclipses around the globe, Espenak shares some of his adventures through photos and video. He focuses especially on the experience of totality when the human senses are overwhelmed by an array of phenomena far outside the realm of everyday life.
  • Total Eclipse of 2017 - On August 21, 2017, the continental United States will experience its first total eclipse of the Sun in nearly 40 years. The path of the eclipse will be described using detailed maps and the audience learn all about this exciting event.
  • The Dynamic Sun - Observations from NASA's SOHO and TRACE spacecraft are making enormous contributions to our knowledge and understanding of the Sun. Still images and time-lapse movies of the Sun from space will reveal a dynamic nature only hinted at just a decade ago. Modern day eclipse observations from the ground will be compared and contrasted against space observations.
  • Eclipses and the Saros Cycle - Why are there different kind of eclipses? How often do eclipses occur and where? What is the Saros cycle and how did the ancients use it to predict eclipses? These questions and more will be answered in this introduction to the mechanics and frequency of eclipses.
  • Eclipse Photography 101 - Astronomy's most spectacular event lasts a few brief minutes. How can you capture a photo of this awesome phenomenon to take back home? Espenak will discuss the essentials of securing an image with digital still and video cameras. Helpful tips will be offered as well as some of the pitfalls to be avoided on eclipse day.
  • Eclipse Imaging and Processing - Techniques required for imaging the solar corona visible during a total eclipse are presented. A detailed explanation on how to combine separate exposures results in a final image that captures the full dynamic range of the corona.
  • Building a Home Observatory - The ultimate dream of most amateur astronomers is to build their own observatory. Espenak discusses the factors and choices that went into designing his own observatory. Complete construction details are shown from start to finish. Finally, Fred shares astronomical images shot from his observatory during its first two years of operation.

Fred Espenak

A Brief Biography of Fred Espenak

Fred Espenak is a retired astrophysicist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. His primary research involved infrared spectroscopy of planetary atmospheres. He also became NASA's expert on solar and lunar eclipse predictions and created NASA's official eclipse website (eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov).

Known by his nickname "Mr. Eclipse," he is co-author along with Mark Littmann of the popular book Totality - The Great American Eclipses 2017 and 2024. In 2006, Espenak published the comprehensive Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 with 5000 years of solar eclipse diagrams and maps. Three years later (2009), he published the complementary volume Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 with 5000 years of lunar eclipse diagrams and maps. He has also published thirteen NASA eclipse bulletins, each one focusing on a specific eclipse.

In 2014, Espenak published the comprehensive Thousand Year Canon of Solar Eclipses 1501 to 2500 and the complementary volume Thousand Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1501 to 2500. His most recent publications 21st Century Canon of Solar Eclipses and 21st Century Canon of Lunar Eclipses are essential guides to all eclipses of the Sun and the Moon during this Century.

Espenak's www.MrEclipse.com website focuses on eclipse photography while the new www.EclipseWise.com website is devoted to the dissemination of his latest eclipse predictions. An avid eclipse chaser, he has participated in dozens of eclipse expeditions around the world including remote and unusual locations such as the Sahara, the Bolivian altiplano, Mongolia, Lake Turkana and Antarctica. Espenak's enthusiasm for eclipses spills over into public speaking, and he is frequently gives talks about his favorite subject.

In 2003, the International Astronomical Union honored him by naming asteroid 14120 "Espenak". To commemorate the 2017 total eclipse through the USA, the U. S. Postal Service featured one of his eclipse photos on a unique heat-sensitive postage stamp. Now living in rural Arizona, he spends most clear nights losing sleep and photographing the stars from Bifrost Observatory (www.AstroPixels.com).

2020 Public Talks by Fred Espenak

  • Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Calgary Centre>
    Presentation: Predicting and Chasing Eclipses
    Location: Zoom Webinar
    Date/Time: October 15, 2020
    Video of Presentation (YouTube): Predicting and Chasing Eclipses - Fred Espenak

2017 Public Talks by Fred Espenak

  • GODDARD SCIENTIFIC COLLOQUIUM SERIES
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
    Date/Time: Wednesday, January 18, 2017
  • Public Lecture - Guangzhou, China
    Presentation: The Great Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: National Astronomical Observatories, Guangzhou, China
    Date/Time: Friday, March 24, 2017
  • Public Lecture at Missouri Valley College
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: Missouri Valley College, Marshall, Missouri
    Date/Time: Thursday, April 13, 2017, 7 p.m.
    Watch live streaming of this lecture on FaceBook at MarshallMOSolarEclipse.
  • Public Lecture at University of Missouri
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: University of Missouri - Kansas City, Missouri
    Date/Time: Friday, April 14, 2017, 7 p.m.
  • Public Lecture at Cernan Earth and Space Center of Triton College
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: River Grove, IL
    Date/Time: Saturday, April 22, 2017
  • Sew What Forum
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: Portal Rescue Classroom, Portal, Arizona
    Date/Time: Friday, May 9, 2017 at 07:00 pm MST
  • Free Adobe Lecture
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: Adobe, 151 S Almaden Blvd, Park Conference Room, San Jose, CA 95113
    Date/Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2017, 5 PM
  • Free Public Lecture
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: University of Toledo
    Date/Time: Thursday, June 15, 2017, 5 PM
  • Multiple Events in Hopkisville, Kentucky (Point of Greatest Eclipse)
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: Hopkisville, Kentucky (Point of Greatest Eclipse)
    Event 1: Thursday, June 22 @ 1 p.m. – High altitude balloon launch
    Event 2: Thursday, June 22 @ 6 p.m. – Public Lecture on 2017 Total Eclipse
    Event 2: Friday, June 23 @ 12 p.m. – KICCS (Kids In College Can Soar) Graduation
    Note: Hopkisville, Kentucky lies in the eclipse path at the Point of Greatest Eclipse
  • Starfest 2017 (North York Astronomical Association)
    Location: River Place Park, Ayton, Ontario, Canada
    Presentation 1: Friday, July 21 @ 11:00 am – How to Photograph the 2017 Solar Eclipse
    Presentation 2: Saturday, July 22, @ 7:00 pm - The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
  • 2017 Astronomical League National Convention
    Invited Keynote: The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre, Casper, Wyoming
    Presentation 1: Thursday, August 17 @ 2:45 pm – How to Photograph the 2017 Eclipse
    Presentation 2: Saturday, August 19, @ 7:00 pm - The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Note: Casper, Wyoming lies in the path of the Total Eclipse of the Sun on August 21!
  • Black Forest Star Party
    Invited Keynote: The Great American Total Solar Eclipses of 2017 and 2024
    Location: Cherry Springs State Park, near Coudersport, Pennsylvania
    Date/Time: Saturday, September 23, 2017

2016 Public Talks by Fred Espenak

A Partial List
  • AAS Eclipse 2017 Workshop #4
    Presentation 1: Glorious Totality
    Presentation 2: Solar Eclipses (Press Conference)
    Location: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois
    Date/Time: Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11, 2016
  • Kensington Astronomy at the Beach
    Presentation 1: Glorious Totality and the American Eclipse of 2017
    Presentation 2: Glorious Totality and the American Eclipse of 2017
    Location: Detroit, Michigan
    Date/Time: Friday & Saturday, September 9 and 10, 2016
  • Bullitt Lecture in Astronomy
    Presentation 1: Glorious Totality and the American Eclipse of 2017
    Presentation 2: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
    Date/Time: Wednesday & Thursday, October 13 and 14, 2016

2015 Public Talks by Fred Espenak

A Partial List
  • Texas Star Party
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: The Prude Ranch, Ft. Davis, Texas
    Date/Time: Wednesday, May 13 at 7:30 PM
  • AAS Eclipse 2017 Workshop #3
    Presentation 1: Glorious Totality
    Presentation 2: EclipseWise.com - A New Website for Eclipse Predictions
    Location: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, Oregon
    Date/Time: Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23rd, 2015

2014 Public Talks by Fred Espenak

A Partial List
  • Sew What Forum
    Title: Portal to the Universe
    Location: Portal Rescue Classroom, Portal, Arizona
    Date/Time: Friday, May 9 at 07:00PM to 08:00PM MST
  • RASC Regular Meeting
    Title: Eclipse Chasing
    Location: RASC Edmonton Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA
                  (Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre, TELUS World of Science 11211 - 142 Street)
    Date/Time: Monday, June 9 at 07:30PM to 09:30PM MST
  • 2014 Nebraska Star Party
    Presentation 1: The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Presentation 2: Building an Home Observatory
    Presentation 3: Eclipses of the Sun (children's talk)
    Location: Valentine High School, Valentine, Nebraska
    Date/Time: Wednesday, July 30
  • 2014 Solar Eclipse Conference
    Presentation 1: Photographing Eclipses
    Presentation 2: Two New Eclipse Canons and an Eclipse Website
    Location: The Lodge Resort, Cloudcroft, New Mexico
    Date/Time: October 24-26 (TBD)
  • Arctic Circle Northern Lights Cruise
    Presentation 1: The Dynamic Sun
    Presentation 2: Building an Home Observatory
    Location: Norway: Aboard the MS POLARLYS
    Date/Time: November 7 - 17, 2014