Eclipsing the Sun

Eclipsing the Sun
日食

On the 21st day of August, 2017,
2017年8月21日，
the moon will slide between the Earth and the sun,
月亮将滑入地球与太阳之间，
painting a swath of darkness across North America.
画出一道横穿北美洲的黑暗。
The Great American Eclipse.
美国的全日食，
An exercise in cosmic geometry.
宇宙中的一次几何练习，
A reminder that we live on one sphere among many,
提醒我们记住我们所生活的球面只是很多个之一，
all moving to the laws of Kepler, Newton and Einstein.
它们都遵循着开普勒、牛顿和爱因斯坦所发现的规律而移动。

The moon’s orbit around the Earth is slightly tilted,
月亮绕地球公转的轨道略微倾斜，
so the shadow of the new moon usually passes above or below us.
所以新月的影子 通常都出现在我们之上或之下。
About twice a year, the three bodies briefly align,
每年大约有两次，三个天体会短暂地连成一线，
and the moon's long shadow cuts across our planet.
月亮悠长的阴影会划过我们星球的表面。
The day dies and is reborn.
白日逝去又重生。
The Sun is replaced by an inky hole,
太阳被一个墨色的空洞取代，
feathered with the pale corona,
环绕折一圈羽化苍白的日冕，
a million degrees hotter than the sun itself.
比太阳本身温度高出100万度。
Staring up into the cone of blackness,
抬头凝望着黑色椎体，
you can fell the cosmic gears grinding.
你能感受到宇宙齿轮的碾动。
Two minutes of beauty and terror.
两分钟的美景与恐惧。

But while most humans will be looking up,
但当大多数人类仰望天空时，
a few will be looking down.
有少数人在向下俯瞰。
For astronauts on the International Space Station,
对于国际空间站的宇航员而言，
an eclipse is a shadowy stain on the planet.
日食是星球上一片朦胧的阴影，
A dark blur among swirling clouds.
卷云中模糊的黑暗。

Even farther above the Earth,
在地球更远处的上空，
weather satellites keep pace with our spinning world,
气象卫星跟随着我们的世界旋转，
watching the moon's shadow slide from sunrise to sunset.
看着月球的阴影 从天明滑向日落。
Other satellites look outward,
其它卫星向外遥望，
Staring up at our nearest star.
凝视着离我们最近的恒星。
Their view of fire interrupted by the passing moon.
他们的视线，因月亮的穿行而中断。

From the moon's perspective,
从月亮上看，
the Earth never rises or sets.
地球从不升起或下落。
It just wobbles back and forth in the sky.
只在天空中来回摇摆。
From its orbit around the moon,
在绕月轨道上，
the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will look back at Earth
月球勘测轨道飞行器将回望地球，
to photograph our shadowed home.
拍下我们被阴影覆盖的家园。

A million miles away, The Dscovr spacecraft faces perpetual noon.
100万英里之外，面对着永恒午时的Dscovr航天器,
The spacecraft can watch the moon's dark face pass behind the globe.
会看到月球的暗面在地球身后掠过，
or slip across it.
或者滑过它的身前。
A dull gray orb on a sphere of white and blue.
一个暗灰色的球体，在蓝白色的球面上。
From this far out,
从比这更远的地方看，
an eclipse is a passing shadow after months of brilliant sunlight.
日食是数月明亮的阳光后通过的一道阴影。

But the moon is not the only object moving between sun and Earth.
但在太阳和地球之间不只有月亮。
Winged Mercury has no moon of its own and no eclipses.
高速飞翔的水星没有卫星，也没有日食。
But seen from Earth it crosses the sun about 13 times a century.
但从地球上看，它每个世纪穿越太阳表面约13次。
A tiny dot, slightly larger than our moon,
一个小小的点，比我们的月亮略大，
backlit by fire.
背后映照着火光。

Transits of Venus are much rarer.
金星凌日要更加罕见。
These images from 1882 were the last for over a century,
这些来自1882年的照片是一个多世纪唯一的一次，
until Venus returned to double-cross the sun in 2004 and 2012.
直到金星在2004和2012年两次掠过太阳。
Our descendents will not see another transit of Venus for a hundred years.
我们的后世子孙在一百年里都不会再次看到这种景象。
The next one is 2117.
下一次是在2117年。

Mars has too moons.
火星有两个卫星。
Phobos, the largest, is a potato-shaped rock only 16 miles long.
最大的火卫一，是块土豆形状的岩石，只有16英里长。
Martian rovers have looked up to capture Phobos passing in front of the soon.
火星漫游者已经抬头捕捉到火卫一从太阳前穿过的景象。
A partial eclipse seen from the dried-out surface of another world.
另一个世界里，干涸地标的偏日食景象。

Jupiter has so many moons,
木星有很多的卫星，
that the giant planet may have several eclipses at same time.
这颗巨大行星上可能同时出现多个日食。
Three shadows, sliding at different speeds, falling on rippled cloud.
三个阴影，以不同的速度，落在波纹卷曲的云层上。

Beyond our solar system,
在我们的太阳系以外，
astronomers have found thousands of planets by playing a game of shadows.
天文学家通过阴影游戏发现了数以千计的行星。
Looking for slight drops in starlight when a planet moves in front of its star.
寻找行星通过恒星表面时出现的微小星光变化。
Distant eclipses on alien worlds.
外星世界的遥远日食。
But is anyone out there to cry or cheer or shudder?
但那里有人哭泣吗，有人欢呼或发抖吗？
Or see the shadows cast by our own lonely planet?
或是看到我们孤独的星球映射出的阴影吗？
Or are we alone in the long night.
或者 在这片长夜中只有我们自己吗？
Do the shadows and the spheres dance only for us?
这段阴影与球面之舞 只为我们而上演吗？

取自北美日食视频字幕 http://weibo.com/tv/v/Fiae1i9IX?fid=1034:badcb8256f7fa5947ae5701158440fff