悉尼天文台揭秘“血红月亮”缘由

SYDNEY – Asian and African night owls were treated to a lunar eclipse, and ash in the atmosphere from a Chilean volcano turned it blood red for some viewers.

悉尼——亚洲和非洲的夜猫子们今天凌晨有幸看到月食的壮观景象，来自智利火山的火山灰将月球表面变成了血红色。

The Sydney Observatory said the eclipse was to begin at 3:25 a.m. Thursday (1:25 p.m. EDT, 5:25 p.m. GMT Wednesday) and last until after 5 a.m.

悉尼天文台称本次月食开始于凌晨3点25分，并持续到凌晨5点（东部夏季时间1:25p.m. 格林威治标准时间星期三5:25p.m.）。

Scientists said the specific phenomenon happening Thursday — known as a "deep lunar eclipse" — often exudes a coppery color. But the intensity of the color depends on the amount of ash and dust in the atmosphere.

科学家介绍说这次奇观发生在星期四，月全食表面通常呈现出铜色。但月亮颜色的深浅取决于空气中所含的灰烬和尘埃的数量。

Luckily for moon-gazers, there was plenty of ash in the air so the moon appeared orange or red, especially in Asia. Air travelers haven't been so lucky: The ash has grounded hundreds of flights around the region.

幸运的是本次月全食过程中，空气中含有大量的尘埃，所以尤其是亚洲的观测者有幸看到月亮变成橘色和红色。航空旅客则没有这么幸运了：大量尘埃使得这一区域的几百个航班延误。

Scientists said the eclipse could be safely observed with the naked eye.

科学家表示本次月食裸眼观测是安全的。