Mr. Mahoney 17)oriented us by pointing out the North Star, the Big and Little Dippers and the constellation Orion, all visible to the naked eye, of course. But what appeared to be a 18)fuzzy cluster in the sky became clear with binoculars: they were the seven stars in the Pleiades Group. And moving to the 16-inch reflector telescope, far-off planets come into the sharp focus you see in Hubble Space Telescope images: Saturn and its rings, as well as a 19)quartet of Jupiter’s moons precisely lined up beside it.
馬奧尼先生引導著我們，為我們指出北極星、北斗七星、小熊星座和獵戶座，當然，這些星座都是我們肉眼可以看見的。但通過雙筒望遠鏡，這些在肉眼下看似模糊不清的團狀物變得清晰起來：他們是昴宿星群的七顆星星。當我們移步至16英寸的反射式望遠鏡時，映入眼簾的是以哈勃太空望遠鏡圖像呈現的遙遠行星：土星及其光環，以及排列在木星旁邊的四顆衛星。

　　Newly in possession of a 14-inch computerized telescope, Mr. Mahoney still leads stargazing sessions, which he started 10 years ago. Some 6,000 gazers a year take his sky tour, according to the resort management. “I remind them that Earth is a starship, and we are just passing through,” said Mr. Mahoney, who distributes Starburst or Milky Way candies after the show.
馬奧尼先生最近擁有了一臺14英寸電腦控制望遠鏡，他依然繼續著自己10年前就開始從事的觀星向導的工作。度假村管理部門稱，每年有6000人參加馬奧尼先生的“星空之旅”。“我提醒他們，地球是一艘星際飛船，我們只是匆匆過客，”馬奧尼先生說。觀星活動結束后，馬奧尼先生為大家分發“星爆”牌或銀河牌糖果。

　　That sense of floating through the galaxy is 20)underscored in the western United States, where low population density and favorable weather combine to make for particularly starry skies. Near Scottsdale, Arizona, the Boulders Resort 21)abjures the science of astronomy in favor of the lore of 22)astrology in its “Dining With the Stars” dinners held three times each year, on the 23)summer solstice and the spring and fall 24)equinox dates.
人口稀疏加上天氣條件得天獨厚，造就了美國西部別樣的星空。在這里，人們最能體會到那種漂浮于星際之中的感覺。伯德斯度假村臨近亞利桑那州的斯科茨代爾市，這里的人們分別在夏至、春分和秋分時舉行三次“與星星共餐”的活動，意在顯示這里的人們不愛天文科學，愛占星學。

　　I had a chance to stargaze out west firsthand this spring during a visit to Colorado. After a day of 25)white water 26)kayaking I took part in a decidedly low-tech session at the new Viceroy Snowmass, an 27)opulent 173-room resort on the Snowmass ski slopes near Aspen. Instead of using an observatory or even a telescope, guests sat around a 28)bonfire on the pool deck, faces facing heavenward as the leader, Marieta Bialek, pointed out constellations and planets visible above the mountains.
今年春天去科羅拉多州參觀期間，我獲得了一次在西部戶外觀星的機會。經過一天的皮艇漂流后，我在新總督斯諾馬斯參加了一個顯然是科技含量不高的觀星活動。新總督斯諾馬斯是一個有著173間客房的豪華度假村，靠近阿斯彭附近的斯諾馬斯滑雪場。在這里觀星，人們不使用望臺或者望遠鏡，而是圍坐在游泳池邊的篝火旁，面朝夜空，領隊瑪麗塔·巴雷克會向眾人指出山脈上空肉眼可見的星座和行星。

　　With the planet Venus shining in the west, the overall order of the night sky emerged as the evening progressed. Taking in the 29)panoramic view of the sky was more 30)meditative than scientific, but rewarding nonetheless, especially when a 31)shooting star 32)streaked by.
當金星在西方天空閃耀時，夜空的總體秩序隨著夜幕的來臨而變得清晰。縱觀整個夜空與其說是科學觀測，倒不如說只是一種哲學靜思，但即使這樣也是值得的，尤其是當流星劃過天際時。

　　“There’s a mystery and wonder about it,” said Ms. Bialek, leaning back in her chair to point out the constellation Cassiopeia. “Many people find comfort in the stars. As things are changing around them, the stars stay steady.”
巴雷克女士靠在椅子上指著仙后座說：“它挺神秘的，富有傳奇色彩，許多人覺得在星星那里能找到安慰。因為周圍的事物在變化，而星星卻穩定不變。”

　　That steadiness was evident in the Atacama region of Chile, where there is little night life to compete with the twinkling sky after dark. Nearby resorts that feature stargazing include Tierra Atacama, 33)a stone’s throw from Hotel de Larache, and Alto Atacama lodge, which offers guided stargazing nightly, except during full moon phases that 34)wash out the viewing.
這種穩定性在智利的阿塔卡馬地區是顯而易見的，在那里，天黑后能與星光閃閃的夜空相媲美的夜生活不多。附近以觀星為特色的度假村包括離拉臘什酒店一箭之遙的阿塔卡馬高地和阿塔卡馬女低音旅店，后者為夜間觀星提供指導，但出現滿月時除外，因為月明星稀，無法觀賞到理想景觀。

　　Stargazing at Hotel de Larache is no mere 35)add-on. On my tour there, several gazers took along 36)Pisco sours from the bar to the fireside orientation involving charts and diagrams before navigating paths to the observatory marked in dim red to minimize light pollution. Inside, the 37)dome opened and 38)swiveled under the computerized direction of the scope as it lined up stars and constellations, which the six of us took turns viewing over the next hour, 39)murmuring oohs and aahs normally associated with fireworks and giving us plenty to marvel at over dinner after the show.
在拉臘什酒店觀星不只是一個余興節目。我在那里旅行期間，幾個觀星者在出發去望臺之前，帶著酒吧里的皮斯科白蘭地，在火爐邊聽包括許多圖標和圖表的指導性介紹。為了使燈光污染降到最小，望臺只有微弱的紅光加以標示。望臺內，當由電腦控制的方向范圍對準星星和星座時，圓屋頂打開并旋轉。我們六個人在接下來的一個小時里輪流觀看這些星星和星座，發出平時只在看煙花匯演時才發出的
“噢……”、“啊……”之類的贊嘆聲。在觀星之后用餐時，方才的美景依然讓我們嘖嘖稱奇。