Fred Espenak, Astrophysicist Known as Mr. Eclipse, Dies at 73
Fred Espenak, Astrophysicist Known as Mr. Eclipse, Dies at 73

He chased eclipses for five decades, wrote several books about them and worked with NASA to make data accessible to nonscientist sky gazers.
Read the full article on NY Times Science
Truth Analysis
Analysis Summary:
The article presents a mixed bag of accuracy. While the core claim of Fred Espenak's death is supported, the age at death is inconsistent across sources. The article appears mostly objective, with minimal discernible bias, though the limited snippet makes a full assessment difficult.
Detailed Analysis:
- Claim:** Fred Espenak, Astrophysicist Known as Mr. Eclipse, Dies.
- Verification Source #4: Supports the claim that Fred Espenak, known as Mr. Eclipse, died.
- Verification Source #1: Supports the claim that Fred Espenak, known as 'Mr. Eclipse', died.
- Verification Source #2: Supports the claim that Fred Espenak is an astrophysicist.
- Verdict:* Supported.
- Claim:** Dies at 73.
- Verification Source #1: Contradicts this claim, stating he died at 71.
- Verification Source #4: Contradicts this claim, stating he died at 71.
- Verdict:* Contradicted.
- Claim:** He chased eclipses for five decades.
- Verification Source #2: Supports this claim, stating he has seen eclipses for 54 years.
- Verdict:* Supported.
- Claim:** Wrote several books about them.
- Verdict:* Not covered by provided sources. Requires internal knowledge or external sources for verification.
- Claim:** Worked with NASA to make data accessible to nonscientist sky gazers.
- Verification Source #4: Supports this claim, stating he was a NASA astrophysicist.
- Verdict:* Supported.
Supporting Evidence/Contradictions:
- Verification Source #1 and Verification Source #4 both state that Fred Espenak died at 71, contradicting the NY Times article's claim of 73.
- Verification Source #2 supports the claim that he chased eclipses for over five decades.
- Verification Source #4 supports the claim that he worked with NASA.
- The claim about writing books is not covered by the provided sources.