astronomy - Mark Marchand blog

Albany-area residents view the April 8 solar eclipse. (Photo credit: Times-Union, Albany, NY)

Guest commentary on the 4/8 total solar eclipse

Post published:April 16, 2024

(The Times-Union daily newspaper of Albany, N.Y. accepted and published my guest commentary on the April 8 total solar eclipse:) Commentary: All eyes on the sky The total solar eclipse was an opportunity to live in the moment, no cellphone required — except for taking photographs By Mark Marchand April 14, 2024 In those low-tech pre-internet days, I was often called upon as a Verizon spokesman to relate how world events affected phone call volumes. Two of my favorite happenings were the O.J. Simpson trial verdict in 1995 and the 1981 wedding of…

Viewing the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse in the Adirondacks

Post published:January 11, 2024

The Adirondack Explorer newspaper up in the Adirondacks assigned me to research and write this story on the upcoming April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. One of the best places in the northeast to view it will be in the Adirondack Mountains. When the sun, Earth and moon align What to know about this rare celestial event By Mark Marchand Residents and visitors will get a chance this spring to witness a stunning cosmic phenomenon that hasn’t occurred in the Adirondack region for nearly seven centuries. On April 8, a complex orbital…

‘I’m being followed by a Moon shadow…’

Post published:August 25, 2017

(Headline: Lyric from "Moon Shadow," written and sung by Cat Stevens, 1971) It's Aug. 21, 2017, and much of the Western Hemisphere is glued to TVs, the sky, and computer screens. Let's meet our players for the afternoon's drama. First there's the sun, the fiery provider of heat and light to our precious planet. Our own personal star is hurtling through the cosmos at a relative speed of about 45,000 miles per hour. The second participant is our faithful satellite, the moon. At a distance of about 240,000 miles from its mother…