The original 'Mr. Eclipse:' How a 19th-century astronomer calculated the dates of over 13,000 eclipses

Two images; on the left is a vintage illustration of earth crisscrossed with arcing lines showing the paths of eclipses; on the right is a vintage portrait of a man in a suit with a large mustache.

If one were to mention the name, "Mr. Eclipse," most amateur and professional astronomers would immediately recognize it as the nom de plume for Fred Espenak, a retired emeritus American astrophysicist who worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center. But he is far better known for his work on eclipse predictions. 

The first total solar eclipse Espenak saw was in March 1970, which sparked his interest in eclipses at the age of 16. Eight years later, he began providing eclipse bulletins for NASA, and today he is the author of many highly-regarded canonical works on eclipse predictions. Many eclipse chasers who desire information on past and especially future eclipses, go to EclipseWise.com where Dr. Espenak has developed a website dedicated to comprehensive predictions and information on eclipses of the sun and moon.