Shortest total lunar eclipse of the century coming Saturday

An eclipse occurs when the Earth, moon and sun are in perfect alignment, allowing the moon to be blanketed in Earth’s shadow.

当地球、月亮和太阳在一条直线上时，月亮会被地球的阴影笼罩，月食便会发生。

Story highlights

故事梗概

? The total eclipse will only last 4 minutes and 43 seconds

? 月全食只会持续4分43秒

? People west of the Mississippi River will have the best view

? 密西西比河以西的人们享最佳观景位置

? Parts of South America, India, China and Russia also will see the eclipse

? 南美，印度，中国和俄罗斯部分地区也会看到月全食

Sky watchers in Western North America are in for a treat: a nearly five-minute total lunar eclipse just before sunrise on Saturday.

美国西北部地区的天文爱好者可以大饱眼福：周六日初前，月全食将持续将近5分钟。

Here’s how it will unfold:

下面是月食揭开面纱的过程：

Starting at 3:16 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, the moon will begin moving into Earth’s shadow. For the next hour and 45 minutes, that shadow will move across the moon and engulf it at 4:58 a.m. Pacific Time. The total eclipse will only last four minutes and 43 seconds, and NASA says that makes it the shortest one of the century.

太平洋夏令时早上3点16分，月亮会进入地球的阴影。接下来的1个小时零45分钟，阴影会逐步覆盖月亮，并在4点58分完全吞噬月亮。月全食将持续4分43秒，美国宇航局表示这将是本世界最短的月全食。

Parts of South America, India, China and Russia also will be able to see the eclipse, but it won’t be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Europe, Africa or the Middle East.

南美、印度、中国和俄罗斯部分地区也会看到月全食。不过格陵兰岛，冰岛，欧洲，非洲以及中东地区则看不到此次美景。

The sun shines on the Earth and creates a shadow. As the moon moves deeper into that shadow, it appears to turn dark and may even appear to be a reddish color. Why red? Because Earth’s atmosphere is filtering out most of the blue light. Some people have nicknamed the effect the "blood moon."

太阳照耀到地球并形成阴影。当月亮转到阴影中时，它的颜色会变深，看似红色。为什么是红色呢？因为地球的大气过滤掉了大部分蓝光。有人戏称此效应为“血月”。

NASA says lunar eclipses typically happen at least twice a year, but this eclipse is the third in a series of four in a row, known as a "tetrad." The first was on April 15, 2014. The second was in September 2014, the next is Saturday and there will be one more, on September 28.

美国宇航局表示月食基本上每年发生两次，但本周六将要发生的月食则是连续4次月食中的第三次。第一次发生于2014年4月15日，第二次在2014年9月，而本年9月28日还会有一次。

If you want to learn more about the eclipse, NASA astronomer Mitzi Adams will take questions on Twitter @NASA_Marshall.

欲了解更多月食信息，在Twitter上@ NASA_Marshall，美国宇航局宇航员Mitzi Adams会为你解答。

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来源:China Daily爱语吧作者:Sunmore