Saying goodbye to an eclipse legend

[Hannah Hellman]

Dear EM2024 friends and family,

Fred Espenak, a legend in eclipse communities of all kinds, recently sent a message out to his listserv informing us that he will very soon be entering hospice, and, likely days later, leave us. If you would like to view his message, which he titled "Fred's Farewell." We have included the letter text below this email, if you have not had a chance to read it yet.

Fred is a retired emeritus American astrophysicist who is perhaps best known in our communities for his work on eclipse predictions. He worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and has been interested in astronomy since he was as young as 7 or 8 years old. He saw his first eclipse on March 7, 1970, a solar eclipse that first sparked his interest in them and he has since viewed more than twenty more.

While at Goddard, Fred used infrared spectrometers to measure the atmospheres of planets in the Solar System. He began providing NASA's eclipse bulletins in 1978, and has authored several canonical works on eclipse predictions, including two references now considered to be "standards" by which work is done:

- Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986-2035

- Fifty Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1986-2035

Fred, with Jean Meeus, published the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses in 2006, which covers all types of solar eclipses from 2000 BCE to AD 3000. They also published the Five Millennium of Lunar Eclipses in 2009, which does the same for lunar eclipses.

Perhaps most relevant to many of us, Fred is known as "Mr. Eclipse," and has given countless public lectures on eclipses and astrophotography. Photographs taken by Fred have been published in National Geographic, Newsweek, Nature, New Scientist, and, in French, Ciel et Espace. He has been an advocate and proponent of eclipse research, and to him we owe so much.

Photo credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Thank you, everyone who has helped pass on word of Fred's letter. We appreciate you all.

- Dr. Peticolas and the EM2024 Team

Below is the letter Fred sent out on Tuesday, April 15th, 2025.

  Fred's Farwell

  From: Fred Espenak

  Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:06:24 EDT

Dear Friends.

I want to share some sad news.

I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) five years ago. I did not have any significant symptoms until last year. That changed dramatically in 2025 and my health has rapidly deteriorated.

I have spent the last two weeks in a Phoenix hospital undergoing exhaustive testing to determine whether I am a candidate for a lung transplant. Unfortunately, my IPF has progressed too far for a transplant.

I expect to be placed into hospice care tomorrow and will probably be gone in a few days or less.

But I cannot complain. I have had a marvelous life of eclipses, astronomy, a NASA career, and my wonderful wife Pat, the greatest love of my life.

I have made so many good friends [through] SEML and through eclipse chasing.

I wish those I leave behind many more years of clear eclipses and awe for the heavens.

Farewell,

Fred