本帖最后由 雅思哥 于 2011-3-22 01:28 编辑
'Blame it on the super moon!' Five ships run aground off British coast as lunar phenomenon lowers tide
The super moon was today blamed for causing five ships to run aground within hours in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Vessels hit sandbanks that are not normally exposed in the Solent, between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire coast, as the phenomenon led to lower tides. The moon was at its closest to the earth for 19 years and some believe it may also have triggered Japan’s tsunami, although astronomers have dismissed the claims as pure nonsense.
Stuck: The Paula-C stranded on an Isle of Wight sandbank today after the supermoon caused a low tide
The pull of the moon is known to affect tides, however. Yesterday, coastguards at the Needles, on the western side of the Isle of Wight, dealt with five ships in distress at the same time. Among them was the 2,900 tonne cargo ship Paula-C, on its way to Cowes with a crew of nine. They were forced to wait for a high tide to lift them clear of a shingle bank. A coastguard spokesman said a 25 foot yacht had also run aground and three other vessels were also marooned by the unexpected turn of events. He said: ‘We checked them all and there were no injuries, just some surprise at being caught out like this. Blame it on the Moon.’
An aircraft flies past the moon over Somerset on Saturday night as it is at its closest point to the earth for almost two decades
Revellers stand beside St Michael's Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Somerset, watching the moon as it is at its closest point to Earth for two decades
Location: Coastguards were yesterday called out to five ships grounded between the Needles and Needles point
On Saturday night, the moon was closer to Earth than at any time since 1992 - just 221,567 miles away. It meant it was around 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than typical full moons. The reason for this is a phenomenon called the 'lunar perigee'. The moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle, but an eclipse. At its closest approach - the perigee - the moon appears brighter and larger in the sky. When it is furthest away - the apogee - it is smaller and dimmer. A lunar perigee occurs once a month. However, next week's perigee coincides with a full moon - a combination of events that happen just once every two or three years.
The full moon is seen as it rises near the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington DC
Moonhattan: The oversized moon adds to the lights of New York City as it rises over the city skyline
Something for everyone: Tourists, star-gazers and simple star-crossed lovers gathered to watch the moon rise over New York's East River
The moon is seen behind the top of the radio and television tower 'Funkturm' in Berlin
The moon as seen from the end of Worthing Pier in Sussex, looking east towards Beachy Head
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A view of the full perigee moon (which means it is at its closest point to Earth) in the backdrop of a minaret of a mosque, over Karachi city, Pakistan (left); A seagull flies in front of a full perigee moon in Yangon, Myanmar
A rugby match in Headingley, Leeds is bathed in an orange glow
Although supermoons usually lower tides by just an inch or so, some seas can lose more than six inches in depth – a particular problem in the sandbank-strewn Solent. Tides are produced by the gravitational attraction of the moon. Like a magnet, it tries to pull at anything on the Earth to bring it closer. Tides are also affected by the moon’s comparative alignment with the sun. Especially strong – or spring – tided also occur when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are in a line. Previous supermoons took place in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005 - all years that had extreme weather events, the conspiracy theorists say.
View of a full perigee moon over Manila, Philippines
The moon rises over east London
The moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle, but an ellipse. At its closest approach - the perigee - the moon appears brighter and larger in the sky. When it is furthest away - the apogee - it is smaller and dimmer
There are numerous myths that claim full-moons cause an outbreak of strange behaviour among people and animals. Indeed the term lunacy is derived from the name of Luna, the Roman moon goddess. Legends depicted werewolves shape-shifting during a full moon and more recently a full orb was said to trigger labour in pregnant women. However, several studies have failed to tie lunar phases to violence, suicides, seizures or admissions to psychiatric hospitals. Meanwhile a 1999 study by astronomer Daniel Caton from Appalachian State University , which analysed 50million births, found no correlation between an increased birth rate and the full moon phase.
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小翻译了一点，找单词的时候发现原来有中文报道。。。。。晕！（直译兼意译，见笑
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