VOA慢速英语--天文观测者期待“月亮超级碗”

Sky Watchers Prepare For the 'Super Bowl' of Moons

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The moon is providing a rare triple¹ treat this week.

月亮将会在本周给人们带来一次罕见的三重乐趣。

On Wednesday, much of the world will get to see not only a blue moon and a “supermoon,” but also a total lunar eclipse².

周三，世界上很多地方不仅将会看到蓝月亮和超级月亮，还会看到月全食。

Having all three events taking place at the same time is extremely unusual. Astronomers³ say this has not happened since 1982. And it won’t happen again until 2037.

这三类事件同时发生是非常罕见的。天文学家表示，从1982年起就没有发生过这种好事，而且直到2037年才会再次发生。

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth comes between the Sun and a full moon. The Earth blocks the sun’s light, making the moon appear dark in the sky.

当地球运行到太阳和满月之间就会发生月全食。地球遮挡了太阳的光线，使得月亮在天空中变暗。

The eclipse will be easiest to see in the western half of the United States and Canada before the moon sets early Wednesday morning. It will also be visible⁴ across the Pacific Ocean into East Asia as the moon rises Wednesday night into Thursday.

当月亮在周三凌晨落下之前，在美国和加拿大的西半部很容易就能看到这次月食。随着月球在周三晚上升起直到周四，横跨太平洋直到东亚也能看到这次月食。

The U.S. East Coast, however, is out of luck. The moon will be setting⁵ just as the eclipse gets started. Europe, most of Africa and South America also will miss out.

然而美国东海岸就不够幸运。月食正要开始时，月亮就要落下了。欧洲、非洲大部分地区以及南美洲也都将会错过这次月食。

A blue moon is a second full moon in one month. It is rare enough that English speakers use the expression “once in a blue moon” to describe something that does not happen often!

蓝月亮是指一个月内的第二次满月。这类事件极其罕见，所以英语人士用“once in a blue moon”这句短语来描述那些不经常发生的事情。

A supermoon is a full or new moon. It appears brighter and bigger than usual because the moon is closer to the earth than usual.

超级月亮是指满月或新月。由于月亮比平常更靠近地球，所以它看起来也比平常更大更亮。

In a total lunar eclipse, the Earth covers the moon’s surface with its shadow, giving it a red-like color. For that reason, it is also known as a “blood moon.”

在月全食中，地球的阴影遮住了月亮表面，使其呈现出红色。正因为此，它也被称之为血月。

Some people are calling this week’s lunar event a “super blue blood moon.”

有些人把本周的月球大事件称之为“超级蓝血月”。

Noah Petro is a scientist with the American space agency⁶ NASA. He is calling the lunar event, “the Super Bowl of moons.”

诺亚·佩特罗（Noah Petro）是美国宇航局的一名科学家。他称这次月球事件为“月亮超级碗”。

No matter the name, it is likely to impress if the skies are clear.

不管怎么取名，如果天空晴朗，它可能都会给人留下深刻的印象。

As the sun lines up perfectly⁷ with the Earth and then the moon for the eclipse, scientists will make observations from a telescope in Hawaii. They are also planning to collect information from NASA’s moon-circling Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

当太阳和地球以及月球完美地排成一行形成月食时，科学家们将通过夏威夷的望远镜进行观测。他们还计划通过美国宇航局绕月飞行的月球轨道探测器收集信息。

Just as last August’s total solar eclipse cooled the Earth’s surface, a lunar eclipse cools the surface of the moon. It’s this sudden cooling — from the heat of direct sunlight to almost a deep freeze — that researchers will be studying.

正如去年8月的日全食让地球表面降温，月食也会让月亮表面降温。从太阳直射的热度到几近严寒，研究人员将会对这种突如其来的降温进行研究。

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I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

triple - adj. having three parts or including three people or things

lunar - adj. of or relating to the moon

eclipse - n. an occasion⁸ when the sun looks like it is completely or partially⁹ covered with a dark circle because the moon is between the sun and the Earth

visible - adj. able to be seen

Super Bowl - n. used for the annual championship game of the National Football League

impress - v. to cause (someone) to feel admiration¹⁰ or interest

solar - adj. of or relating to the sun

1 triple   

n.三倍之数，三个一组；adj.三倍的

参考例句：

• Twelve is the triple of four.十二是四的三倍数。
• He received triple wages for all his extra work.由于额外的工作他领取了三倍的工资。

2 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。

3 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》

4 visible   

adj.看得见的，明显的，显然的；n.可见物

参考例句：

• It is a visible star in the sky.这是一颗在天空中可见的星星。
• The warning lights were clearly visible.警示信号灯清晰可见。

5 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

6 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 occasion   

n.场合，时机，机会，诱因，理由；vt.惹起，引起

参考例句：

• Her dress was too showy for such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，她的服装过分华丽了。
• Her tears were fought back on such an occasion.在这种场合下她忍住了眼泪。

9 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

10 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。