【BBC紀錄片】月球之謎 第二期

The stones seem to be arranged so they track the movements

立石的排列

of the moon through the sky from month to month.

似乎逐月追蹤著月亮在夜空中的位置

Nowadays we're not really fully aware of

其實我們現(xiàn)在并不知道

what the moon's doing in the sky, we know short days in the winter,

月球在天上做什么，我們知道冬天白晝較短

long days in the summer,

夏天白晝較長

but the moon's plodding on doing the same

其實月亮的變化也一樣

sort of thing over much longer cycles.

只不過周期長得多

And whereas we nowadays aren't fully aware of

現(xiàn)代人也許不知道

where the northernmost moon rises or sets,

月亮升起、落下的極北

or the southernmost,

或極南位置為何

our prehistoric ancestors five thousand years ago

但我們的史前老祖宗在五千年前

did know and they set these stones out

就知道了并以這些石頭

to mark these extreme positions of the moon.

標示月亮的位置

Most of all the stones could predict the timing

立石陣最驚人的是可以預測

of a spectacular and rare lunar event.

罕見壯觀月球事件的時間

To the south of Callanish is a range of hills

卡拉尼什南部有一座

which resemble a woman lying on her back.

看似一名仰臥女子的山峰

Every 18 years the full moon rises out of the hills.

每隔18年，滿月會從山巒間升起

It rolls along the woman's body and then vanishes.

沿著女子身體的曲線移動，然后消失

But moments later it is re-born

但數(shù)分鐘后

right in the centre of the stone circle!

在立石圈的中央再度出現(xiàn)

Legend says that anyone

據(jù)說

who witnessed this magical event

任何目睹此事件的人

would be blessed with the gift of fertility.

都會多子多孫

It has always been the full moon above

滿月

all else that has stirred the human spirit.

讓人心旌搖撼

Yet the moon has no light of its own,

但是月亮本身并不會發(fā)光

its glow is simply reflected sunlight.

月光不過是反射的陽光

As it orbits our planet the portion

月球繞著地球運行時

of the sunlit surface that we see changes.

被太陽照射的受光面會改變

This gives us the phases of the moon

這就是月亮的陰晴圓缺

a twenty nine and a half day cycle

月亮將在為期29.5天的周期內

that waxes to full and then wanes back to new.

由朔到望，再由望到朔

When the moon is full the night sky glows

滿月時夜空的亮度

ten times brighter than when it's new.

是新月時的十倍

And on this night the same full moon

這天晚上

can be seen from every corner of the earth.

世上任何一個角落都可以看到相同的一輪滿月

It has always inspired awe.

它向來讓人敬畏之心油然而生

In times gone by,

過去

the full moon was believed to bring out

人們認為月亮會引出人性的黑暗面

our darker selves in a monthly wave of madness and bloodshed.

所以每個月都會有瘋狂、血光之災

The word "lunacy" derives from the Latin word

英文“瘋狂”的字根來自拉丁文中的月亮

for moon and crimes that happened at this time

在滿月期間發(fā)生的罪案

were looked upon more leniently.

往往會被從寬發(fā)落

But when it comes to nature,the moon's impact isn't legend.

但是月亮對大自然的影響并不是神話