Fred Espenak - Public Lectures and Speaking Engagements

Index
A Partial List of Lecture Topics
A Brief Biography of Fred Espenak
Public Talks in 2014
Public Talks in 2015
Public Talks in 2016
Public Talks in 2017
Public Talks in 2018

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 at Goddard
Espenak at Goddard

Eclipse Chaser Fred Espenak
Eclipse Chaser

Fred Espenak
Fred Espenak

A Brief Biography of Fred Espenak

Fred Espenak's career as a NASA astrophysicist at Goddard Space Flight Center spans more than 30 years. His primary research involves the infrared spectroscopy of planetary atmospheres although he is better known as NASA's eclipse expert Mr. Eclipse. Espenak is currently a scientist emeritus at Goddard and he maintains NASA's official eclipse web site (eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov) as well as his personal web site on eclipse photography (www.mreclipse.com). Fred has published numerous books and articles of eclipse predictions including the NASA Eclipse Bulletins series, and he is the co-author of the popular book Totality: Eclipses of the Sun. His magnum opus, the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses, includes a map of every solar eclipse occurring between 2000 BC and AD 3000.

Since retiring, Espenak has begun a new series of eclipse publications through his company Astropixels Publishing. Among the most recent titles are Thousand Year Canon of Solar Eclipses, Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21, and Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017. He also runs three web sites: 1) MrEclipse.com (all about eclipse photography), 2) EclipseWise.com (eclipse predictions for thousands of years), and 3) Astropiixels.com (astrophotography from Bifrost Astronomical Observatory).

Espenak's interest in eclipses was first sparked after witnessing a total solar eclipse in 1970. Since then, he has participated in 34 eclipse expeditions around the world including Antarctica. Fred's eclipse photographs have appeared in both national and international publications, and he has lectured extensively on the Sun, eclipses and photography. In 2003, the International Astronomical Union honored him for his work on eclipses by naming an asteroid Espenak. Fred now lives in rural Arizona, where he spends most clear nights losing sleep and photographing the stars (www.astropixels.com).

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

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

2016 Public Talks by Fred Espenak

A Partial List
  • NEAF - Northeast Astronomy Forum
    Presentation: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017
    Location: State University of New York, RCC Campus, Suffern, New York
    Date/Time: Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 05:00PM
  • 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

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

2018 Public Talks by Fred Espenak