You owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse | David Baron

譯者: Clara Chen 審譯者: Helen Chang

Before I get to bulk of what I have to say,

在進入正題之前，

I feel compelled just to mention a couple of things about myself.

我認為先說說我自己是十分必要的。

I am not some mystical,

我不是神秘主義者，

spiritual sort of person.

亦不篤信精神力量。

I'm a science writer.

我是一位科學作家，

I studied physics in college.

大學期間主修物理學。

I used to be a science correspondent for NPR.

我曾是全國公共廣播電台 （NPR）的科學通訊記者。

OK, that said:

有一次，

in the course of working on a story for NPR,

在為 NPR 寫一篇文章時，

I got some advice from an astronomer

一位天文學家給我的建議

that challenged my outlook,

挑戰我了的觀點，

and frankly, changed my life.

坦率來說，改變了我的生命。

You see, the story was about an eclipse,

那篇文章與日食有關，

a partial solar eclipse that was set to cross the country

是一次全國都看得到的日偏食，

in May of 1994.

發生在 1994 年五月。

And the astronomer -- I interviewed him,

我採訪的這位天文學家，

and he explained what was going to happen and how to view it,

向我解釋了將要發生什麼， 以及如何觀測日食。

but he emphasized that, as interesting as a partial solar eclipse is,

但他特別強調，雖然日偏食也有趣，

a much rarer total solar eclipse is completely different.

更為罕見的日全食卻全然不同。

In a total eclipse, for all of two or three minutes,

在日全食發生的二至三分鐘內，

the moon completely blocks the face of the sun,

月球完全遮擋住太陽，

creating what he described as the most awe-inspiring spectacle

形成他描述的

自然界裡最令人驚歎的景象。

in all of nature.

And so the advice he gave me was this:

他給我的建議是：

"Before you die," he said,

「在你的生命結束之前，

"you owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse."

應該要有一次日全食的體驗。」

Well honestly, I felt a little uncomfortable

說實話，聽一個不熟悉的人說這話，

hearing that from someone I didn't know very well;

讓我感到有點不舒服，

it felt sort of intimate.

畢竟這是個私人話題。

But it got my attention, and so I did some research.

但它吸引了我的注意力， 所以我做了些調查。

Now the thing about total eclipses is,

對於日全食來說，

if you wait for one to come to you,

如果你只是等待它來到你住的地區，

you're going to be waiting a long time.

那你恐怕要等很久。

Any given point on earth experiences a total eclipse

在地球上任意一處遇到日全食的機會

about once every 400 years.

大約每四百年一次。

But if you're willing to travel, you don't have to wait that long.

但如果你樂意去旅行， 就不必等待那麼長時間。

And so I learned that a few years later, in 1998,

我得知在幾年後，1998 年，

a total eclipse was going to cross the Caribbean.

在加勒比海將有機會觀測到日全食。

Now, a total eclipse is visible only along a narrow path,

日全食僅在一條狹長區域看得到，

about a hundred miles wide,

這個區域寬約一百英里，

and that's where the moon's shadow falls.

由月球在地球上的投影形成。

It's called the "path of totality."

它被稱為「全食帶」。

And in February 1998,

在 1998 年 2 月，

the path of totality was going to cross Aruba.

全食帶將穿越阿魯巴島。

So I talked to my husband, and we thought: February? Aruba?

我和我丈夫討論了這件事， 我們想：二月？阿魯巴島？

Sounded like a good idea anyway.

不論如何聽起來還不錯。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So we headed south,

於是我們一路向南享受陽光，

to enjoy the sun and to see what would happen

同時看看太陽暫時消失時會怎樣。

when the sun briefly went away.

Well, the day of the eclipse found us and many other people

日食的那天終於到來，

許多人和我們一起

out behind the Hyatt Regency,

在凱悅酒店外的沙灘上

on the beach,

waiting for the show to begin.

等待大自然的表演開場。

And we wore eclipse glasses with cardboard frames

我們戴的日食眼鏡

是硬紙板鏡框鑲嵌著深色鏡片，

and really dark lenses that enabled us to look at the sun safely.

這樣就能安全地觀測日食了。

A total eclipse begins as a partial eclipse,

日全食一開始是日偏食，

as the moon very slowly makes its way in front of the sun.

因為月球慢慢地掠過太陽的前面。

So first it looked the sun had a little notch in its edge,

起初，太陽的邊緣出現一個缺口，

and then that notch grew larger and larger,

缺口越來越大，

turning the sun into a crescent.

太陽逐漸變成新月狀。

And it was all very interesting, but I wouldn't say it was spectacular.

這些景象雖然十分有趣卻並不壯觀。

I mean, the day remained bright.

我的四周依舊是明亮的白天。

If I hadn't known what was going on overhead,

如果不是事先知道 我的頭頂上空正在發生什麼，

I wouldn't have noticed anything unusual.

我也許根本不會注意到任何不同。

Well, about 10 minutes before the total solar eclipse was set to begin,

在日全食開始的十分鐘前，

weird things started to happen.

奇怪的事情開始發生了。

A cool wind kicked up.

一陣涼風吹過。

Daylight looked odd, and shadows became very strange;

日光顯得怪怪的，陰影變得詭異；

they looked bizarrely sharp,

看起來很不尋常的清晰，

as if someone had turned up the contrast knob on the TV.

就像有人調高了電視銀幕的對比度。

Then I looked offshore, and I noticed running lights on boats,

我望向海面，注意到船隻開了燈，

so clearly it was getting dark,

很顯然雖然我沒有意識到，

although I hadn't realized it.

但光照正在變暗。

Well soon, it was obvious it was getting dark.

很快，顯然有如夜幕降臨一般，

It felt like my eyesight was failing.

我感覺到視力看不清了。

And then all of a sudden,

突然，

the lights went out.

四周全暗了。

Well, at that,

此時，

a cheer erupted from the beach,

掌聲響徹沙灘，

and I took off my eclipse glasses,

我也取下日食眼鏡，

because at this point during the total eclipse,

因為當日全食進行到此時，

it was safe to look at the sun with the naked eye.

用裸眼觀察太陽是安全的。

And I glanced upward,

我向上瞟了一眼，

and I was just dumbstruck.

眼前的景象使我目瞪口呆。

Now, consider that, at this point, I was in my mid-30s.

試想，那時我早已步入而立之年。

I had lived on earth long enough to know what the sky looks like.

我在地球上活得夠久， 知道天空是什麼樣子。

I mean --

我是想說是

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I'd seen blue skies and grey skies

我見過藍天，也見過烏雲密佈，

and starry skies and angry skies

我見過星辰漫天，亦見過天公降怒，

and pink skies at sunrise.

我還見過日出時粉色的天空。

But here was a sky I had never seen.

但我從未見過此時的天空。

First, there were the colors.

首先，天空的顏色便與以往不同。

Up above, it was a deep purple-grey,

向上看，那是一種深紫灰色，

like twilight.

一如暮色降臨。

But on the horizon it was orange,

但是沿著地平線看天空是橙色的，

like sunset,

像落日，

360 degrees.

360 度全方位的。

And up above, in the twilight,

在上方的「暮色」中，

bright stars and planets had come out.

明亮的群星已然出現。

So there was Jupiter

那是木星，

and there was Mercury

那個是水星，

and there was Venus.

還有一顆是金星。

They were all in a line.

它們全部排成一排。

And there, along this line,

沿著這條線看去，

was this thing,

你會看到它，

this glorious, bewildering thing.

這個輝煌的卻令人迷惑的小東西。

It looked like a wreath woven from silvery thread,

它看起來像由銀絲編織的花環，

and it just hung out there in space, shimmering.

它就那樣懸在空中，閃耀著。

That was the sun's outer atmosphere,

那是太陽的外大氣層，

the solar corona.

我們稱之為日冕。

And pictures just don't do it justice.

圖片並不能如實的重現它。

It's not just a ring or halo around the sun;

它不僅是圍繞著太陽的光環或日冕；

it's finely textured, like it's made out of strands of silk.

它看起來的手感那麼好， 就像是用絲線織成的。

And although it looked nothing like our sun,

雖然它看起來完全不像我們的太陽，

of course, I knew that's what it was.

當然，我明白它就是太陽。

So there was the sun, and there were the planets,

太陽懸在空中，行星也在那裡，

and I could see how the planets revolve around the sun.

這樣我就可以看清 行星如何圍繞太陽運轉。

It's like I had left our solar system

我感覺自己似乎離開了太陽系，

and was standing on some alien world,

此時我正在外星世界，

looking back at creation.

回顧創世的壯景。

And for the first time in my life,

這是人生中第一次

I just felt viscerally connected to the universe

我體會到與浩渺的宇宙連成一體，

in all of its immensity.

廣袤無限。

Time stopped,

時間靜止了，

or it just kind of felt nonexistent,

或者只是彷彿不存在，

and what I beheld with my eyes --

目之所及，

I didn't just see it,

不僅是看到，

it felt like a vision.

而且覺得像是一個夢境。

And I stood there in this nirvana

我站在那，有如登仙，

for all of 174 seconds -- less than three minutes --

整整 174 秒，不到三分鐘，

when all of a sudden, it was over.

突然，它結束了。

The sun burst out,

陽光炸開來，

the blue sky returned,

藍天回歸到我們的視野中，

the stars and the planets and the corona were gone.

那些星星和日冕都消失得無影無蹤。

The world returned to normal.

世界回歸正常，

But I had changed.

但我卻改變了，

And that's how I became an umbraphile --

從此癡迷日食，

an eclipse chaser.

成了「追逐日食者。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So, this is how I spend my time and hard-earned money.

這就是我花錢和消遣的方式。

Every couple of years, I head off to wherever the moon's shadow will fall

每幾年我直奔日食降臨之地，

to experience another couple minutes

去體會宇宙賜予的數分鐘珍貴時刻，

of cosmic bliss,

and to share the experience with others:

同時與他人分享這些經歷：

with friends in Australia,

與澳洲的朋友分享，

with an entire city in Germany.

與一整個德國城市分享。

In 1999, in Munich, I joined hundreds of thousands

1999 年在慕尼黑，

我與數十萬人擠滿街道和屋頂，

who filled the streets and the rooftops and cheered in unison

同聲歡呼日冕的出現。

as the solar corona emerged.

And over time, I've become something else:

隨著時間的逝去，我變了，

an eclipse evangelist.

變成日食的傳道者。

I see it as my job

我將它視為己任，

to pay forward the advice that I received all those years ago.

通過傳給別人

來回應多年前收到的忠告。

And so let me tell you:

來，讓我告訴你：

before you die,

當你離開這個世界之前，

you owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse.

你一定要有一次觀測日全食的經歷。

It is the ultimate experience of awe.

那是對自然的終極敬畏。

Now, that word, "awesome," has grown so overused

如今 “awesome” （敬畏） 這詞因為被濫用

that it's lost its original meaning.

而失去了它原有的含義。

True awe, a sense of wonder and insignificance

真正的敬畏，對奇跡的體會，

in the face of something enormous and grand,

和面對宏偉事物對自身渺小的體驗，

is rare in our lives.

在我們的生活中是稀有的。

But when you experience it, it's powerful.

但當你去體會才會發現它如此有力。

Awe dissolves the ego.

敬畏使自我消失無蹤，

It makes us feel connected.

使我們心心相連。

Indeed, it promotes empathy and generosity.

事實上，它豐富我們的同理心， 使我們更加慷慨。

Well, there is nothing truly more awesome than a total solar eclipse.

世上沒有比日全食 更令人感到敬畏的了。

Unfortunately, few Americans have seen one,

可惜並沒有幾個美國人見過日食，

because it's been 38 years

因為自上一次日全食發生後，

since one last touched the continental United States

美國大陸 38 年未有過此現象，

and 99 years since one last crossed the breadth of the nation.

99 年來沒有從東到西 覆蓋全國的日食。

But that is about to change.

但這種情況將會發生改觀。

Over the next 35 years,

在接下來 35 年裡，

five total solar eclipses will visit the continental United States,

美國大陸會迎來五次日全食，

and three of them will be especially grand.

其中三次將會尤為壯觀。

Six weeks from now, on August 21, 2017 --

六個星期後，也就是 2017 年 8 月 21 日，

(Applause)

（掌聲）

the moon's shadow will race from Oregon to South Carolina.

月亮的陰影將由俄勒岡州 延伸到南卡羅萊納州。

April 8, 2024, the moon's shadow heads north from Texas to Maine.

在 2024 年 4 月 8 日，月亮的 陰影將從德州向北延伸到緬因州。

In 2045, on August 12,

在 2045 年 8 月 12 日，

the path cuts from California to Florida.

全食帶將從加州延伸到佛羅里達州。

I say:

我提議：

What if we made these holidays?

「把這些日子變成假期如何？」

What if we --

如果我們

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

What if we all stood together,

如果我們同心協力，

as many people as possible,

越多的人越好，

in the shadow of the moon?

站在月亮的影子裡怎麼樣？

Just maybe, this shared experience of awe would help heal our divisions,

也許這種共享敬畏的經歷 會緩解人與人之間的分歧，

get us to treat each other just a bit more humanely.

讓我們之間的交往更加有人情味。

Now, admittedly, some folks consider my evangelizing a little out there;

我得承認，有人認為我像在傳福音，

覺得我太過了、癡迷、行為古怪。

my obsession, eccentric.

I mean, why focus so much attention on something so brief?

我是說，他們疑惑我為什麼會 在短暫的小事上花費這麼多精力？

Why cross the globe -- or state lines, for that matter --

為什麼為一件只持續三分鐘的小事

for something that lasts three minutes?

不惜跨過州界、甚至半個地球？

As I said:

就像我說的一樣：

I am not a spiritual person.

我不是追求性靈的人，

I don't believe in God.

我不信奉上帝，

I wish I did.

但願我是，但我不是。

But when I think of my own mortality --

但每當我想到自己有限的生命，

and I do, a lot --

而且我常常想到，真的，

when I think of everyone I have lost,

每當我想到身邊逝去的每一個人，

my mother in particular,

尤其是我的母親，

what soothes me

能安慰我的，

is that moment of awe I had in Aruba.

只有我在阿魯巴島那充滿敬畏的時刻。

I picture myself on that beach,

我想像自己躺在那沙灘上，

looking at that sky,

看著那天空，

and I remember how I felt.

我記得當時的感覺。

My existence may be temporary,

儘管我的存在是短暫的，

but that's OK because, my gosh,

但是那也沒什麼，因為，哦天哪，

look at what I'm a part of.

看看我是什麼的一部分。

And so this is a lesson I've learned,

這就是我學習到的一課，

and it's one that applies to life in general:

它在生活中普遍適用：

duration of experience does not equal impact.

持續長時間的經歷未必就衝擊力大。

One weekend, one conversation -- hell, one glance --

一個週末、一次對話， 甚至驚鴻一瞥，

can change everything.

都足以改變任何事。

Cherish those moments of deep connection with other people,

珍惜那些你與他人親密接觸的時刻，

with the natural world,

與自然相處的時刻，

and make them a priority.

並把它們排在首要地位。

Yes, I chase eclipses.

是的，我追逐日食。

You might chase something else.

也許你追求其他的東西。

But it's not about the 174 seconds.

重點不在那 174 秒鐘，

It's about how they change

重要的是它對以後人生的影響。

the years that come after.

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）