VOA慢速英語：天文觀測者期待“月亮超級碗”

Sky Watchers Prepare For the 'Super Bowl' of Moons

天文觀測者期待“月亮超級碗”

This is What's Trending Today.

這里是今日熱點節(jié)目。

The moon is providing a rare triple treat this week.

月亮將會在本周給人們帶來一次罕見的三重樂趣。

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

周三，世界上很多地方不僅將會看到藍(lán)月亮和超級月亮，還會看到月全食。

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

這三類事件同時發(fā)生是非常罕見的。天文學(xué)家表示，從1982年起就沒有發(fā)生過這種好事，而且直到2037年才會再次發(fā)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.

當(dāng)?shù)厍蜻\(yùn)行到太陽和滿月之間就會發(fā)生月全食。地球遮擋了太陽的光線，使得月亮在天空中變暗。

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 visible across the Pacific Ocean into East Asia as the moon rises Wednesday night into Thursday.

當(dāng)月亮在周三凌晨落下之前，在美國和加拿大的西半部很容易就能看到這次月食。隨著月球在周三晚上升起直到周四，橫跨太平洋直到東亞也能看到這次月食。

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

然而美國東海岸就不夠幸運(yùn)。月食正要開始時，月亮就要落下了。歐洲、非洲大部分地區(qū)以及南美洲也都將會錯過這次月食。

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!

藍(lán)月亮是指一個月內(nèi)的第二次滿月。這類事件極其罕見，所以英語人士用“once in a blue moon”這句短語來描述那些不經(jīng)常發(fā)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.

超級月亮是指滿月或新月。由于月亮比平常更靠近地球，所以它看起來也比平常更大更亮。

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，地球的陰影遮住了月亮表面，使其呈現(xiàn)出紅色。正因為此，它也被稱之為血月。

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稱之為“超級藍(lán)血月”。

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

諾亞·佩特羅(Noah Petro)是美國宇航局的一名科學(xué)家。他稱這次月球事件為“月亮超級碗”。

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，它可能都會給人留下深刻的印象。

As the sun lines up perfectly 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.

當(dāng)太陽和地球以及月球完美地排成一行形成月食時，科學(xué)家們將通過夏威夷的望遠(yuǎn)鏡進(jìn)行觀測。他們還計劃通過美國宇航局繞月飛行的月球軌道探測器收集信息。

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月的日全食讓地球表面降溫，月食也會讓月亮表面降溫。從太陽直射的熱度到幾近嚴(yán)寒，研究人員將會對這種突如其來的降溫進(jìn)行研究。

And that's What's Trending Today.

以上就是本期今日熱點的全部內(nèi)容。

I'm Ashley Thompson.

阿什利·湯普森報道。