欧美文化博览 阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦(17)

300000 times more massive¹ than the earth,

太阳的质量比地球大300000倍,

the sun is the perfect object for Einstein's experiment.

太阳是爱因斯坦最完美的实验对象。

But how can anyone shine a beam² of light around the sun?

但是任何人如何能让光围绕太阳转?

It says the light from a distant star as it passes right next the sun in the sun's gravitational field will bend.

据说来自遥远恒星的光在经过太阳旁边时会因为太阳的重力而弯曲。

Because spaces bend around the sun.

因为空间绕着太阳弯曲。

But even if Einstein is right, he'll never be able to see it happen because the sun is just too bright except...

但即使爱因斯坦是对的,他就不能看见事情发生,因为太阳太明亮，除了…

When is the sun covered so that we can see what is around it without being blinded by the light.

当太阳被遮盖,我们能看见周围是什么而没有被蒙蔽的光。

That only occurs³ during a total solar eclipse⁴.

那只发生在完全的日食中。

Here is the sun and it is blocked by the moon.

那时的太阳被月亮遮住。

And suddenly all the stars come out.

突然所有的星星出来了。

The figure: if you have the sun here,

结果是:如果太阳在这里,

and there stars wait back here and the lights coming in towards you, they will bend slightly.

星星回到这里,等待,光就会向你而来,它们会微微弯曲。

So to your eye, you think that the star has gone out like that.

所以对于你的眼睛而言,你认为星星已经那样。

Light going around the sun, that's something that even his mother could understand.

光围绕着太阳,那是甚至连他的母亲能够理解的东西。

1 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

2 beam   

n.横梁；光束；vi.发光，发热

参考例句：

• The load on this beam is more than it will bear.横梁上的负荷比它能承受的要大得多。
• I could see the beam of his flashlight waving around in the dark.我可以看到他的手电筒光在黑暗中上下舞动。

3 occurs   

v.发生( occur的第三人称单数 )；被想起；被发现；（尤指基督教节日与别的节日）适逢同日

参考例句：

• It occurs to me that example is always more efficacious than precept. 我想到身教重于言教。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When trouble occurs at one spot, help comes from all quarters. 一方有难，八方支援。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 eclipse   

v.使黯然失色，使相形见绌，日食，月食

参考例句：

• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。
• There will be an eclipse of the moon next month.下个月有月食。