Solar Empire --Heavens Above

　　But the history of our understanding of the heavens has generated more than seasonal and religious calendar s. Modern superstition and supernatural connections bet ween heaven and Earth also have ancient roots in celest ial events. The heavenly event that has caused the most profound terror for so many down through the centuries is the eclipse. Eclipses are a consequence of cosmic al ignment, when the sun, moon, and Earth fall precisely i nto line. A solar eclipse results from the moon coming between the Earth and sun. And, when it does, it is amo ng the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring of celestial events. Even today, as the sun seems to disappear from the sky, many feel an unmistakable sense of wonder, rev erence, and utter dread.

　　October, 1995, part of northern India faced a total eclipse of the sun. Today, for eclipse chasers, traveli ng thousands of miles, the promise of a few precious mo ments bathed in the twilight of the moon's shadow has b ecome a pilgrimage of deep, mystical significance. The sky is transformed into a cosmic light show as time see ms to stand still. The once brilliant sun is slowly ext inguished until all that remains is a great black disc surrounded by a pearly halo and magnificent streamers o f light.

　　"Just looking at the shadow coming at a thousand mi les an hour, and just, whoo, it's over you. And, then y ou turn around and you, it's like a bullet in the sky. The, the diamond ring was spectacular."

　　"Ah, man."

　　"And, it just, ah, makes me cry every time I see on e."

　　"It, it does something to you."

　　"I had sort of butterflies in my stomach, I couldn' t believe it."

　　"We're ecliptomaniacs."

　　to be continued

　　Notes:1. Mesopotamia:美索不达米亚(西南亚一地区，亦称“两河流域”，即底格里斯和幼 发拉底两河流域平原，在叙利亚东部和伊拉克境内)

　　2. out of kilter:在不正常状态下，失常、失衡eg.The car wouldn't g o because the engine was out of kilter.车子开不动了，因为引擎出了毛病了 。

　　3. equinox: 二分时刻，昼夜平分时(指春分或秋分)

　　4. fast:斋戒，禁食期

　　5. Ramadan:回历的九月(该月内教徒每日从黎明到日落禁食)，斋月

　　6. commemorate:纪念

　　7. Pleiades: n.昴(宿)星团(位于黄道星座金牛座中的疏散星团)

　　8. eclipse:(天文学)食

　　9. extinguish: v.消亡

　　10. Butterfly: n.(因紧张等引起的)颤抖，要呕吐的感觉

　　11. we're ecliptomaniacs:我们对日食感到非常恐惧