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The stones seem to be arranged so they track the movements
立石的排列
of the moon through the sky from month to month.
似乎逐月追蹤著月亮在夜空中的位置
Nowadays we're not really fully aware of
其實我們現在并不知道
what the moon's doing in the sky, we know short days in the winter,
月球在天上做什么，我們知道冬天白晝較短
long days in the summer,
夏天白晝較長
but the moon's plodding on doing the same
其實月亮的變化也一樣
sort of thing over much longer cycles.
只不過周期長得多
And whereas we nowadays aren't fully aware of
現代人也許不知道
where the northernmost moon rises or sets,
月亮升起、落下的極北
or the southernmost,
或極南位置為何
our prehistoric ancestors five thousand years ago
但我們的史前老祖宗在五千年前
did know and they set these stones out
就知道了并以這些石頭
to mark these extreme positions of the moon.
標示月亮的位置
Most of all the stones could predict the timing
立石陣最驚人的是可以預測
of a spectacular and rare lunar event.
罕見壯觀月球事件的時間
To the south of Callanish is a range of hills
卡拉尼什南部有一座
which resemble a woman lying on her back.
看似一名仰臥女子的山峰
Every 18 years the full moon rises out of the hills.
每隔18年，滿月會從山巒間升起
It rolls along the woman's body and then vanishes.
沿著女子身體的曲線移動，然后消失
But moments later it is re-born
但數分鐘后
right in the centre of the stone circle!
在立石圈的中央再度出現
Legend says that anyone
據說
who witnessed this magical event
任何目睹此事件的人
would be blessed with the gift of fertility.
都會多子多孫
It has always been the full moon above
滿月
all else that has stirred the human spirit.
讓人心旌搖撼
Yet the moon has no light of its own,
但是月亮本身并不會發光
its glow is simply reflected sunlight.
月光不過是反射的陽光
As it orbits our planet the portion
月球繞著地球運行時
of the sunlit surface that we see changes.
被太陽照射的受光面會改變
This gives us the phases of the moon
這就是月亮的陰晴圓缺
a twenty nine and a half day cycle
月亮將在為期29.5天的周期內
that waxes to full and then wanes back to new.
由朔到望，再由望到朔
When the moon is full the night sky glows
滿月時夜空的亮度
ten times brighter than when it's new.
是新月時的十倍
And on this night the same full moon
這天晚上
can be seen from every corner of the earth.
世上任何一個角落都可以看到相同的一輪滿月
It has always inspired awe.
它向來讓人敬畏之心油然而生
In times gone by,
過去
the full moon was believed to bring out
人們認為月亮會引出人性的黑暗面
our darker selves in a monthly wave of madness and bloodshed.
所以每個月都會有瘋狂、血光之災
The word "lunacy" derives from the Latin word
英文“瘋狂”的字根來自拉丁文中的月亮
for moon and crimes that happened at this time
在滿月期間發生的罪案
were looked upon more leniently.
往往會被從寬發落
But when it comes to nature,the moon's impact isn't legend.
但是月亮對大自然的影響并不是神話
