{{Short description|American solar astronomer (born 1931 or 1932)}} {{Infobox scientist | honorific_prefix = | name = Donald Liebenberg | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date |85|2017|August|21}}<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite news |last1=Koren |first1=Marina |title=The King of Totality |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/solar-eclipse-totality/537441/ |accessdate=24 September 2018 |work=The Atlantic |date=21 August 2017}}</ref> | birth_place = | death_date = <!--{{death date and age |YYYY|MM|DD |YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date)--> | death_place = | other_names = | pronounce = | citizenship = | nationality = | fields = Astronomy | education = | alma_mater = University of Wisconsin | thesis_title = <!--(or | thesis1_title = and | thesis2_title = )--> | thesis_url = <!--(or | thesis1_url = and | thesis2_url = )--> | thesis_year = <!--(or | thesis1_year = and | thesis2_year = )--> | doctoral_advisor = <!--(or | doctoral_advisors = )--> | workplaces = [[Clemson University]] (current)<br>[[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] (former) | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = Having witnessed 27 total solar eclipses | spouse = Norma Liebenberg | partner = <!--(or | partners = )--> | footnotes = }} '''Donald Liebenberg''' (born 1931 or 1932) is an American astronomer and adjunct professor in the department of physics and astronomy at [[Clemson University]].
An avowed [[eclipse chasing|eclipse chaser]], he is best known for having traveled around the world to see 27 total solar eclipses since 1954.<ref name="Atlantic" /><ref name="NPR">{{cite news |last1=Greenfieldboyce |first1=Nell |title=Go See It, Eclipse Chasers Urge. 'Your First Time Is Always Special' |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/08/539553696/go-see-it-eclipse-chasers-urge-your-first-time-is-always-special |accessdate=24 September 2018 |agency=NPR |date=8 August 2017}}</ref> He is also regarded as having spent more time in [[Solar eclipse#Terminology for central eclipse|totality]], the darkest area within the Moon's [[umbra]] during a total [[solar eclipse]], than anyone else alive.<ref name="NPR" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Meet The Man About To Witness His 27th Total Solar Eclipse |url=https://www.abcactionnews.com/newsy/meet-the-man-about-to-witness-his-27th-total-solar-eclipse |accessdate=24 September 2018 |author-last1=Stephenson |author-first1=Lauren |author-last2=Seales |author-first2=Chance |agency=Newsy |publisher=ABC Action News WFTS |date=18 August 2017}}</ref>
== Education == Liebenberg attended the [[University of Wisconsin]] as a physics major in the early 1950s.<ref name="Atlantic" /> He holds three degrees, including a PhD, from his alma mater.<ref name="Greenville" />
== Career and eclipses == Liebenberg witnessed his first total solar eclipse on [[Solar eclipse of June 30, 1954|June 30, 1954]], in [[Mellen, Wisconsin]].<ref name="Greenville">{{cite news |last1=LaFleur |first1=Elizabeth |title=Watch the eclipse and be 'amazed' like this guy who's seen 26 of them |url=https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2017/04/26/watch-eclipse-and-amazed-like-guy-whos-seen-26-them/100923904/ |accessdate=24 September 2018 |agency=Greenville News |date=27 April 2017}}</ref> Since then, he has traveled around the world to see solar eclipses, witnessing a total of 27 total solar eclipses. He observed his 27th, the [[solar eclipse of August 21, 2017]], from his driveway; by coincidence, his house in [[Salem, South Carolina]], was located in the path of totality.<ref name="Atlantic" /><ref name="Greenville" /><ref name="Courier" /><ref name="ClemNews2">{{cite news |title=Liebenberg's research shines more light on coronal emissions during total solar eclipses |url=https://newsstand.clemson.edu/liebenbergs-research-shines-more-light-on-coronal-emissions-during-total-solar-eclipses/ |accessdate=8 July 2019 |website=Clemson Newsstand|date=12 March 2019}}</ref>
His primary motivation for pursuing solar eclipses has been to study the Sun's [[solar corona|corona]].<ref name="Atlantic" /> To this end, he wrote a proposal and obtained a grant from the [[National Science Foundation]] in 1954.<ref name="Greenville" /> He later worked for the [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] carrying out research into the temperature and energy input of the corona.<ref name="Atlantic" /><ref name="Greenville" /> In 1973, Liebenberg was invited by French officials and scientists to participate in the observation of the [[solar eclipse of June 30, 1973]], on an early [[Concorde]] supersonic aircraft. Flying on the Concorde, [[1973 Eclipse Flight of Concorde 001|a group of scientists from Los Alamos and the Paris Observarory, including Liebenberg, remained in the path of totality for 74 minutes]] while conducting various scientific measurements of the corona.<ref name="Atlantic" /><ref name="NPR" /><ref name="Greenville" /><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/lareport/LA-UR-82-5105|title=In Flight: The Story of Los Alamos Eclipse Missions|first=Barb|last=Mulkin|journal=Los Alamos Science|accessdate=October 21, 2018}}</ref> For comparison, the theoretical maximum duration for totality during the third millennium for any stationary point or observer on the Earth's surface is approximately seven and a half minutes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Meeus |first1=J |title=The maximum possible duration of a total solar eclipse |journal=Journal of the British Astronomical Association |year=2003 |volume=113 |page=344 (Table 1)|bibcode=2003JBAA..113..343M |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2003JBAA..113..343M |accessdate=25 September 2018}}</ref>
He has worked as an adjunct professor in Clemson's department of physics and astronomy since 1996.<ref name="ClemNews">{{cite web |last1=Melvin |first1=Jim |title=26 AND COUNTING / The Liebenberg Chronicles / Eclipse 9 / Part 2 of Concorde flight |url=http://newsstand.clemson.edu/26-and-counting-the-liebenberg-eclipse-chronicles-part-9/ |website=The Newsstand – Clemson University |accessdate=24 September 2018}}</ref>
== Personal life == Liebenberg and his wife Norma<ref name="Courier">{{cite news |last1=Borenstein |first1=Seth |title=Chasing eclipses across the globe is a way of life for some |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/solar_eclipse/chasing-eclipses-across-the-globe-is-a-way-of-life/article_aa94504e-83ba-11e7-8f31-6f0773d14e8e.html |accessdate=24 September 2018 |agency=The Post and Courier |date=17 August 2017}}</ref> reside in [[Salem, South Carolina]].<ref name="Atlantic" />
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://archive.org/details/CSPAN2_20170818_041800_Interview_with_Donald_Liebenberg_on_the_Solar_Eclipse/start/0/end/60 Donald Liebenberg interview with CSPAN2] * [https://blogs.clemson.edu/eclipse/2017/06/25/26-and-counting-the-liebenberg-eclipse-chronicles-part-9/ Blog postings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924145525/https://blogs.clemson.edu/eclipse/2017/06/25/26-and-counting-the-liebenberg-eclipse-chronicles-part-9/ |date=2018-09-24 }} where Liebenberg further discusses his experiences witnessing and researching solar eclipses * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYC3Tudu5DA&t=966s French documentary] on 1973 Concorde eclipse chasing
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebenberg, Donald}} [[Category:Clemson University faculty]] [[Category:Scientists from South Carolina]] [[Category:Los Alamos National Laboratory personnel]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:1930s births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Oconee County, South Carolina]] [[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni]] [[Category:21st-century American astronomers]]