日全食、春分、超级月亮一次看个够

 　　Friday, March 20, will see an astronomical¹ triple play when a rare total solar eclipse occurs on the same day as the vernal equinox, and a supermoon makes an appearance.本周五（3月20日）将上演天文现象“三合一”：春分当天发生日全食，还能看到“超级月亮”。

　　A total eclipse occurs when the moon comes between Earth and the sun, casting a lunar shadow onto the Earth’s surface along a narrow, 62-mile-wide (100-kilometer) path.

　　当月亮位于地球和太阳之间时，沿一条宽62英里（即100公里）的路径在地球表面投下阴影，全日食现象由此产生。

　　The March 20 total solar eclipse event will be the first since Nov. 3, 2013. The dark umbral shadow cone² of the moon will trace a curved path primarily over the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, beginning off the southern tip of Greenland and then winding³ its way counterclockwise to the northeast, passing between Iceland and the United Kingdom.

　　此次3月20日的日全食是2013年11月3日以来的第一次。月球造成的圆锥形阴影将沿曲线路径掠过北大西洋和北冰洋地区，从格陵兰南端开始，然后按逆时针方向到达东北部，掠过冰岛和英国。

　　In order to get its fellow Britain observers ready for such a dramatic event that will not happen again for more than a decade, Mail Online has provided the “solar eclipse timetable” and listed some of the most frequently asked questions about solar eclipse.

　　为了让英国观测者们能为这次十年难得一遇的大事件做好充分准备，《每日邮报在线》列出了日食观测时间表和一些常见的日食相关的问题。

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　　WILL IT GO DARK IF IT’S CLOUDY?

　　阴天也会变暗吗？

　　Absolutely.

　　当然。

　　Meteorologist Simon Partridge says: ‘I would expect it to still look dark — as dark as night in some places. The last time we had an eclipse, some of the light-sensitive street lamps went on.’

　　气象学家西蒙·帕特里奇说：“还是会变暗的，在某些地方就跟夜晚一样。上次日食的时候，一些光感应的街灯都亮起来了。”

　　But don’t sneak⁴ a peek⁵ — even if the cloud refuses to shift. Edward Bloomer, astronomer⁶ at the Royal Observatory⁷ Greenwich, says: ‘Even thick cloud cover is transitory, and even a very short exposure to unfiltered sunlight can permanently⁸ damage your vision.’

　　但是哪怕云遮住了也千万不要偷看。格林威治皇家天文台的天文学家爱德华·布鲁默说：“哪怕是最厚的云层也只是片刻的，而哪怕只是一瞬间暴露在毫无遮拦的阳光下，也会对视力造成伤害。”

　　WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO SEE IT?

　　哪里是最好的观测点？

　　The further north you go, the better you are to witness this momentous⁹ event (weather permitting). The best place will be the west coast of the Isle¹⁰ of Lewis, near Aird Uig, at 9.36am.

　　越往北走越有利于观测这次日食，当然是在天气允许的前提下。（英国的）最佳观测地点在西海岸的路易斯岛，靠近Aird Uig，时间是早上9点36分。

　　WILL IT AFFECT THE ECONOMY?

　　会影响经济吗？

　　The last time Britain had a solar eclipse, the Mail reported that thousands of office workers poured into the streets. At Westminster, MPs and staff emerged on to the House of Commons terrace and roof.

　　据《每日邮报》报道，上次日食时，英国成千上万的办公室职员跑到街上观测，而在西敏寺，议员和工作人员则拥到了下议院的露台和屋顶上。

　　With millions expected to watch the latest celestial¹¹ light show, just one hour’s lost work would cost the economy ?625million, according to ONS statistics, based on the fact that the UK’s workers do work worth ?5billion in an eight-hour day.

　　预计将有百万人参与观测此次日食。根据ONS数据，每一个八小时的工作日，英国工作人员创造50亿英镑的价值，那么一小时的旷工会给经济造成6.25亿英镑的损失。

1 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。

2 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

3 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

4 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

5 peek   

vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥

参考例句：

• Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
• Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

6 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。

7 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

8 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

9 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

10 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

11 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。