Have you ever gazed at the night sky and felt as though the Moon loomed larger than usual? Your eyes were not deceiving you. The Moon’s apparent size can __1__ subtly depending on where it is in its orbit. On certain occasions, it reaches its fullest phase while at its closest point to Earth. When these two events __2__, scientists and the public refer to the spectacle as a “supermoon.”
The Moon does not orbit our planet in a perfect circle. Instead, it travels along a more oval-shaped __3__, completing one full orbit every 27 days. Consequently, there are times when it __4__ its nearest point to Earth — about 363,300 km at perigee — and times when it lies at its farthest point, or apogee, about 405,500 km away. These distances vary slightly from one orbit to another, depending on the __5__ of the Sun and Earth. At perigee, the Moon can appear up to 14% larger and about 30% brighter than at apogee. If a full moon happens to take place at this point, the sight of such a large and bright __6__ in the sky is hard to miss.
Though striking, supermoons are fairly common __7__, happening three to four times each year and always in succession. In other words, they may be observed in __8__ months.
Photo: Ivy English 照片：常春藤解析英語
While its brilliance may capture our gaze, a supermoon’s impact on Earth is __9__. One of its most noticeable effects is the production of slightly higher tides than usual. Some observational studies have also suggested a slight increase in nighttime traffic accidents during these events, possibly because the Moon’s heightened brightness may __10__ drivers or slightly alter depth perception. If you want to enjoy the supermoon, be sure to catch the view from a safe place, just in case.
你是否曾在凝望夜空時，感覺月亮比平常更大？你並沒有看錯。月亮的視覺大小會依據它在軌道中的位置而有細微的改變。在某些時候，它同時達到最圓的滿月階段且位於最靠近地球的位置。當這兩個事件同時發生時，科學家和大眾稱此奇觀為「超級月亮」。
月球繞著地球運行的軌道並不是一個完美的圓。相反地，它沿著一條比較橢圓形的路徑運行，每二十七天完成一次完整的繞行。因此，有些時候它會到達距離地球最近的位置——約三十六萬三千三百公里處的近地點。而有些時候則位於最遠的位置——也就是約四十萬五千五百公里處的遠地點。這些距離會因每一次的繞行軌道不同而略有差異，取決於太陽和地球的位置。在近地點時，月球看起來可能會比在遠地點時大14%，亮度提高約30%。如果剛好在這個時候出現滿月，那麼天空中如此巨大而明亮的圓盤狀物體是很難忽視的。
Photo: AdobeStock 照片: AdobeStock
雖然壯觀，但超級月亮是滿常發生的事件，每年會發生三到四次，且總是連續出現。換句話說，可能可以連續幾個月觀測到超級月亮。
雖然它的光輝可能會吸引我們的目光，但超級月亮對地球的影響有限。它最明顯的影響之一就是會造成比平常稍高的潮汐。一些觀測研究也指出，在這些時期，夜間交通事故略有增加，可能是因為月球提高的亮度會分散駕駛的注意力，或是稍稍改變了深度知覺。如果你想欣賞超級月亮，務必要在安全的地方觀賞這幅美景，以防萬一。
What Did You Learn?
(A) disk (B) distract (C) modest (D) route
(E) shift (F) positions (G) reaches
(H) occurrences (I) coincide (J) consecutive
* Moon指月球這個天體，a full moon為固定用法，表「滿月」。
答案： 1. E 2. I 3. D 4. G 5. F 6. A 7. H 8. J 9. C 10. B
Words in Use
1. loom vi. 隱約出現
As night fell, the ruins loomed larger and more haunting under the moonlight.
夜幕降臨時，廢墟在月光下顯得更為高大且詭異。
2. deceive vt. 欺騙
The desert heat deceived the travelers into seeing shimmering pools of water on the horizon.
沙漠的酷熱欺騙了旅行者們，讓他們以為在地平線上看見閃爍的水池。
3. subtly adv. 些微地
The colors of the painting subtly changed as the sunlight moved across the room.
隨著陽光在屋內移動，這幅畫的色彩些微地改變了。
4. orbit n. (天體等的)運行軌道 &
vt. 環繞……的軌道運行
A planet’s orbit can be slightly altered by the pull of nearby celestial bodies.
行星的軌道可能會因鄰近天體的引力而稍微改變。
The newly launched satellite will orbit the Earth to monitor weather patterns.
新發射的衛星將環繞地球運行，以監測天氣型態。
5. spectacle n. 奇觀
The fireworks display over the river was a breathtaking spectacle.
河面上的煙火表演是一場令人屏息的奇觀。
Practical Phrases
1. gaze at. . . 凝視著……
gaze vi. & n. 注視，凝視
Rachel gazed at the ocean waves while she was lost in thought.
瑞秋凝視著海浪，陷入沉思。
The audience’s gaze followed the singer as she walked across the stage.
當那位歌手走過舞臺，觀眾的目光跟隨著她。
2. refer to A as B 將A稱為B
Tourists refer to the island as paradise on earth.
遊客把那座島稱為人間天堂。
3. take place 發生
A sudden blackout took place during the theater performance.
戲劇表演中途突然停電了。
4. in succession 連續地
succession n. 一連串
Sophia received two promotions in succession within one year.
索菲亞在一年內連續獲得兩次升遷。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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