時差N小時:北極星何奇之有?

Even if you're not an astronomy buff, chances areyou caneasily recognize certain constellations andstars such as the Big Dipper, Orion's Belt and theNorth Star.

即使你不是一名天文學(xué)發(fā)燒友，你也能輕易地辨認(rèn)出某些星座，比如，北斗七星，獵戶座的腰帶，還有北極星。

The North Star is the brightest star in theconstellation known as the Little Dipper.

北極星是小熊座中最明亮的一顆星。

It is so-called because of the special position itoccupies relative to Earth's axis.

它的名字源于它所處的特殊位置，這個位置與地軸有關(guān)。

If you were to stay up all night gazing at the stars, you'd slowly see them revolve around apoint in the sky known as the North Celestial Pole.

如果你熬夜盯著滿天繁星看，會慢慢發(fā)現(xiàn)它們都繞著天上的一個點旋轉(zhuǎn)，這個點就是北天極。

You would notice, however, that one star remains stationary.

這時，你會注意到有一顆星星一動不動，它就是北極星。

This is the North Star, so named forits location almost directly in line with the North CelestialPole.

北極星因自身位置幾乎與北天極重合而得名。

Due to its consistent position in the sky, at one time sailors used the North Star as anavigational tool.

由于北極星在天上的位置永遠不變，所以曾經(jīng)一度，水手們將北極星作為導(dǎo)航工具。

By measuring the angle between the northern horizon and the North Star, a navigator couldaccurately determine the ship's latitude.

通過測量北方地平線與北極星之間的角度，導(dǎo)航員能確定船只所處的緯度。

But latitude, or the imaginary lines stretching across the globe parallel to the equator, wasnotenough to pinpoint a ship's location.

但緯度，或者，想象中與赤道平行環(huán)繞地球的那條線，不足以確定船只的位置。

Knowing latitude only allowed navigators to locate themselveson a particular latitude line ata particular distance from the equator.

知道緯度，導(dǎo)航員也只能確定自己在哪條緯線上，距赤道有多遠。

It was only with the inventionof a way to accurately measure longitude that precisenavigation became possible.

只有發(fā)明出測量經(jīng)度的方法，進行準(zhǔn)確的導(dǎo)航才會成為可能。

Although the North Star is no longer used by navigators, it remains a heavenly icon ofhumancuriosity and exploration.

盡管如今導(dǎo)航員已不靠北極星來導(dǎo)航。但它代表著人類永恒的探索與開創(chuàng)精神，將永遠在天空中綻放光芒。