美国国家公共电台 NPR--An astronomer tells us what celestial wonders to look forward to in 2023

An astronomer¹ tells us what celestial² wonders to look forward to in 2023

Transcript³

Amateur astronomers⁴, mark your calendars, because this year has a lot in store: meteor showers, a "ring of fire" eclipse, a super blue moon and more.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Stunning⁵ meteor showers, a super blue moon and a ring of fire eclipse - 2023 has a lot of celestial wonder in store.

DWANE BROWN, HOST:

Astronomer Jackie Faherty works at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. She says the first things to look for are what she calls naked-eye planets - planets you can actually see without a telescope.

JACKIE FAHERTY: By January 22, what you'll get to see is - Venus is getting particularly close to Saturn⁶, which is super fun to see 'cause they're bright objects. They move different than the stars. And then on March 1, you'll see Venus is kind of closed in on Jupiter, and they're very close to each other. That's a good one to look for, the planets meeting each other in the sky.

FADEL: In August, we can see a blue moon, which isn't blue. It just refers to the second full moon in a calendar month.

FAHERTY: So this saying that oh, it only happens once in a blue moon - but actually, it's not rare at all. Blue moons happen every 2 1/2 years.

BROWN: A bright moon can be mesmerizing⁷, but some of the most memorable⁸ astronomical⁹ events are easier to see when the moon is not full.

FAHERTY: Anywhere that's got, like, a lot of light pollution, the moon still shines through. But when you want to see darker things, the moon - you want it to go away.

FADEL: When the moon is hidden, it makes it easier to view cosmic events like meteor showers. The Perseids are due in August and the Geminids in December.

FAHERTY: The meteor showers are great for just, like, equitable¹⁰ observing because all you really need is open sky. But even in cities, you can find yourself a clearing somewhere. You can find yourself on a rooftop, maybe. You can find yourself in the middle of a park.

FADEL: Coming up in the fall, there will also be a partial solar eclipse.

FAHERTY: We also call that the ring of fire eclipse because while the moon doesn't fully¹¹ cover the sun, it leaves this ring around where the moon would be that, if you look at it, looks super cool.

BROWN: And, yeah, for a total solar eclipse, you'll have to wait until next year. NASA already has a countdown going for the big day - April 8, 2024.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RING OF FIRE")

JOHNNY CASH: (Singing) I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down.

1 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

2 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

6 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings.天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

7 mesmerizing   

adj.有吸引力的，有魅力的v.使入迷( mesmerize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I think you must be mesmerizing me, Charles. 查尔斯，我想你一定在对我施催眠术啦。 来自辞典例句
• The attendant one-dimensional wave equation has mesmerizing harmonic properties. 伴生的一元波平衡具有迷人的和谐特性。 来自电影对白

8 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

9 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

10 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。