VOA慢速英语2018 152年首现"超级蓝血月全食"

Sky Watchers Prepare For the 'Super Bowl' of Moons

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The moon is providing a rare triple¹ treat this week.

本周，月亮将为人们演绎一次罕见的“三部曲”。

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，全球多地不仅能看到蓝月亮和超级月亮，还将看到月全食。

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.

三种现象同时出现的概率非常小。天文学家表示，自1982年以来，从未发生过如此奇观。下一次出现要等到2037年。

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.

当地球运行至太阳和满月之间时会发生月全食。地球遮住了太阳光线，月亮黯然失色。

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.

周三凌晨月亮落下前，美国和加拿大的西半部很容易能观赏到这次月食。待周三晚间至周四凌晨，整个太平洋地区和东亚地区也能看到此次月食。

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，美国东海岸地区就没这么走运了。月食才刚刚开始，月亮就要落下了。而欧洲、非洲大部分地区及南美洲也将无缘这次月食。

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。这类现象极其罕见，因此，说英语的人常用“千载难逢（once in a blue moon）”形容少见的事情。

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。因月亮比往常更靠近地球，所以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."

在月全食过程中，地球的阴影遮住了月亮表面，导致其呈现红色。因此，它也被称为“血月”。

Some people are calling this week's lunar event a "super blue blood moon."

有些人将本周的月球活动称为“超级蓝血月全食”。

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.

撇开各种“美称”，如果天空晴朗，它可能会给人留下深刻印象。

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、地球和月球完美地并排形成月食时，科学家们将在夏威夷利用望远镜进行观测。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，月全食也会让月亮表面降温。研究人员将进一步分析这种突如其来的降温——从太阳照射的温度至几近严寒。

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。