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As the moon pulls away it will put an end
隨著月球日漸遠離
to one of nature's most glorious spectacles;
自然界中最壯麗的奇景也將畫下句點
a total solar eclipse.
那就是日全食
The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun.
月球的體積是太陽的四百分之一
But at the moment it is also precisely 400 times
但目前和地球的距離
closer to the earth than the sun is.
也是太陽和地球距離的四百分之一
This amazing coincidence means that
這個驚人的巧合表示
when the moon passes directly in front of the sun,
月球經過太陽前方時
it appears exactly the same size.
兩者看來體積相當
We are living at the only time in the history of the solar system
只有我們身處的這個時代
when this unique spectacle is possible.
才看得到這種奇觀
As the moon drifts away from us,
隨著月球日漸遠離
this awe-inspiring sight will be over forever.
這個令人敬畏的異象，將會成為歷史
So over the years scientists continued to
這些年來科學家不斷做出
make exciting new discoveries about our moon.
有關月球的新發現
But somehow it was never enough to reignite our passion
但似乎永遠不足以再度引燃
for our closest neighbour.
我們對月球的熱情
And that was partly because our attention had turned elsewhere.
有部分原因可歸咎于人們的注意力已轉向別的地方
There are over one hundred
太陽系中還有150多顆
and fifty other moons in the solar system,
其他的衛星
and by the late 1970's we were starting to explore them.
我們在1970年代末期，開始探索這些衛星
The results were spectacular.
得到的結果令人嘖嘖稱奇
The journey of discovery began with the Voyager probes.
航海家探測器為這趟發現之旅揭開了序幕
They were sent to explore the outer solar system
它們的目的是探索外側太陽系
the gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn.
如木星和土星等巨型氣體行星
Until now these extraordinary worlds
在此之前人們只能透過望遠鏡
had been seen only through telescopes.
觀察這些奇異又美麗的世界
It took 2 years for these probes to reach their first port of call
這些探測器花了兩年才抵達第一個停靠點
Jupiter.
木星
Scientists all over the world were gripped,
世界各地的科學家都屏息
waiting for the first close up pictures of the great giant.
等待木星第一批特寫照片回傳
But when Voyager started transmitting pictures back to earth,
但是航海家開始將影像回傳地球時
they were in for a surprise.
科學家有了意想不到的驚喜
It seemed it was Jupiter's moons, rather than the planet itself,
看來最驚人的秘密，似乎存在于木星的衛星
that held the most exciting secrets.
而非木星本身
We thought the moons of the outer planets
我們一直以為外行星的衛星
would be lumps of ice covered in craters.
都是布滿隕石坑的冰塊
And that was about it.
此外乏善可陳
But when Voyager started transmitting
但航海家開始回傳
back pictures of Jupiter's innermost moon,
最靠近木星的衛星木衛一的影像時
lo, there was a strange anomaly.
出現了一個奇怪的異常之處
A young NASA scientist spotted
航太總署一名年輕科學家發現
an odd looking bulge on the moon's side.
衛星的側面有個奇怪的隆起
I came in about 9 o'clock that morning to the navigation area
我那天早上九點左右來到導航區
and the tape with the pictures the spacecraft
探測器前一天拍到的影片
had taken the day before was on my desk.
就放在我桌上
I put them on the computer system
于是我就用電腦放出來看
and I displayed them and I could see that lo,
我看到
the moon of lo, was a crescent as very
木衛一呈新月形
often our own moon is a crescent in the night sky.
就如同我們自己的月亮在夜空中往往呈新月形一樣
And I went and enhanced the brightness
我增加了畫面的亮度
and there appeared beside lo,
發現木衛一的一側
an object, a huge object that looked like something
出現一個巨大的物體
I couldn't recognise and could never have expected
我沒料到會看到這種情景，也不知道那是什么
and it completely captured my attention.
所以看得全神貫注
I wanted to know so badly what that was.
我很想知道那是什么
I just had to ask myself 'my goodness what is that? '.
忍不住自問 “天啊，那是什么？”
