英语听力：自然百科 春秋分（在线收听）

Twice a year, day and night, fall into balance, lasting for nearly equal length. Known as equinoxes, Latin for equal night, they occur in March and September and along with solstices mark the changing of seasons as Earth travels around the sun.

每年有两次,日日夜夜进入平衡,几乎相等。这种现象被称为春秋分,这是拉丁语,意思是平等的夜晚,它在3月和9月发生,标志着季节的变化。

Astronomers like to describe the equinox within the conceptual celestial sphere. Here the heavens are projected around the Earth, like an enormous planetarium. The model is bisected by the celestial equator, a projection of Earth’s own equator. The equinox occurs at the point at which the sun’s path or ecliptic crosses the celestial equator. In spring it is known as the vernal equinox, and in fall the autumnal equinox.

天文学家喜欢用天球描述春秋分。这里的天投射在大地,像一个巨大的天文馆。该模型的有天体赤道,这是天球的地球赤道。春分这一点发生在太阳经过天体赤道。黄道在春天称为春分和而在秋天则称为秋分。

The other two seasonal points on the sun’s path are the two solstices; in the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, while the winter solstice marks the shortest. The seasonal aligning of the sun has been more than just a unique celestial event for humankind throughout history. Ancient sites like Stonehenge in England and Machu Picchu in Peru have well documented solar alignments during the solstices.

另外两个在太阳路径上的季节点是两个至点。在北半球,夏至是一年中白天最长的一天,而冬至则是最短的。太阳的季节性调整已经不仅仅是人类历史悠久的一个独特的天象。像英格兰的巨石阵和秘鲁的马丘比丘这样的古代遗址就有至点期间太阳阵列的明文规定。

Similarly, the equinoxes have been associated with some amazing man-made phenomena. In the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá, the great pyramid known as El Castillo is oriented along cardinal axis. During the equinoxes, shadows cast by the railings create the illusion of a writhing serpent body, descending the northern steps where it joins the carved serpent’s head at the base of the stairway. The cultural significance of the fall equinox and changing of seasons continues today, especially in the northern hemisphere, where the autumnal equinox occurs around harvest season.

同样,春秋分与一些了不起的人为现象一直联系。在古代玛雅城市古, 被称为艾尔卡的大金字塔就是面向主轴。在春秋分,栏杆的阴影会创造蛇的身体颤抖的幻觉,它会与北部楼梯雕刻的蛇头会合。秋分的文化意蕴和季节改变在今天也继续影响着,特别是在北半球,秋分意味着丰收的季节。

In fact, the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is commonly referred to as the harvest moon. In China and other Asian countries, this time is celebrated with the mid-autumnal festival; the origins are linked to the birth of the moon goddess and festival traditions revolve around families with reunions and feasts and special moon cakes. In Jewish culture, thanks for the harvest is given during the week-long feast of the tabernacles or Sukkot. Families eat meals in temporary shelters outside, recalling the Israelites' days in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt.

事实上,靠近秋分的满月通常被称为收获的月亮。在中国和很多其他亚洲国家,这个时间会庆祝中秋节日;起源是月亮女神的诞生,节日围绕家庭团聚的传统及特殊的月饼盛宴。在古犹太文化中,感激收获的节日庆典将持续一周。在外面临时帐篷内,家庭会吃肉,以回忆以色列人离开埃及后漂泊的日子。