Lunar Eclipse Turns Moon Blood Red|赤色月蚀　惊艳全球

Lunar Eclipse Turns Moon Blood Red

The longest lunar eclipse in more than a decade turned the moon blood red on June 16, yielding a rare visual treat for stargazers from Australia to Europe. The year's first lunar eclipse, when the Earth casts its shadow over the moon, was seen in parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

The moon usually turns brown during an eclipse, but this time it became a reddish, coppery color. Contrary to some Internet chatter, the moon's vivid red hue was not necessarily the result of ash from the erupting Puyehue volcano high in the Chilean Andes. The terrestrial shadow started to fall at 5:24 PM GMT and lifted at around 11:00 PM GMT. The totality, when the lunar face is completely covered, lasted 100 minutes, which had been the longest since July 2000.

While keen astronomers in parts of Australia had to contend with dense cloud cover and rain, others had a clear view. Around 130 people watched at the Sydney Observatory, while in Singapore, more than 700 people gathered outside a science center to watch. Some enthusiasts staked out spots more than four hours ahead of schedule, with the center organizing astronomy talks and movie screenings to entertain the audience. There were similar scenes in the Philippine capital of Manila, where hundreds of amateur and professional astronomers gathered before dawn to catch a glimpse. With blankets and coffee, they were rewarded with clear skies. "I will never get tired of watching these events," said Maximo Sacro, a 67-year-old retired planetarium curator.

1.  What was a common misconception about this eclipse?

(A) The eclipse caused a volcanic eruption.

(B) The moon became invisible because of the shadow of the sun.

(C) The moon turned brown because it was a full lunar eclipse.

(D) Ash from a volcano gave the moon a different color during this eclipse.

2.  According to the second paragraph, what is "totality?"

(A) How long a lunar eclipse lasts.

(B) When the moon looks red during an eclipse.

(C) When the moon is totally covered in shadow.

(D) The longest lunar eclipse.

3.  Which of the following statements is true?

(A) People in Singapore were the last to see this eclipse.

(B) There were clear skies in Manila for the eclipse viewing.

(C) This eclipse was the first Maximo Sacro had ever seen.

(D) All of Australia was covered in clouds on the night of June 16.

赤色月蚀　惊艳全球

6 月 16日当天出现 10 多年来历时最长的月蚀，从澳洲到欧洲的观星者都可以一睹月蚀造成血红色月亮的罕见奇观。当地球的阴影笼罩月球时就会造成月蚀，而在欧洲、非洲、亚洲及澳洲等地的部分地区可见到今年第 1 次月蚀。

　　月蚀发生时，月亮通常会变成棕色，但这次却呈现微红的铜色。与一些网络言论相左的是，月亮鲜红的色泽，并不一定是高耸于智利安地斯山脉的普耶韦火山爆发喷出的灰烬所造成的结果。地球的阴影于格林威治标准时间下午 5 点 24 分开始遮蔽月球，晚间 11 点月球脱离阴影。本次月全蚀――月球表面完全被地球阴影遮蔽――的时间长达 100 分钟，是自 2000 年 7 月以来历时最长的一次。

　　在澳洲部分地区，热衷的天文学家必须应付天空覆盖的厚重云层和雨势，其他地区则拥有清楚的观景视野。约有 130 位民众在雪梨天文台观赏月蚀，而在新加坡，超过 700 人聚集于一处科学观测站进行观赏。一些天文迷在月蚀开始的 4 个多小时前便占好观测地点，观测站同时举办天文座谈会并放映电影来娱乐观众。类似的场景也出现在菲律宾首都马尼拉，上百位业余和职业天文学家在黎明前就聚集一起，准备一睹月蚀风采。盖着毛毯，喝着咖啡，他们拥有晴朗的天空作为犒赏。1名退休的 67 岁天文馆馆长 Maximo Sacro说：『观赏这些天文奇景，我可是百看不厌。』

答案：1. (D)2. (C)3. (B)

月蚀是当月亮与地球和太阳运行在几乎同一条直线上时，月球将逐步进出地球阴影，原来被太阳照亮的表面，有一部分或全部不能被太阳光线直接照射到，因此月球出现 1 道深色阴影。但月亮并没有变黑暗，而是成为深红色。月亮在月蚀过程中变深红色是因为地球有 1 道大气层围着，太阳光经过地球大气层时，产生折射，只有波长较长的红光可以穿透大气层，并折射到月球表面，而使月球呈现红色。（数据源：新浪网）