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在晴朗的夜空中，能看到很多星星。近來，有一顆很亮的星星突然變暗了。天文學家認爲，它即將爆發成爲超新星，而這顆超新星將會有滿月那麼亮。
A star may explode soon
by Sarah Knapton
One of the brightest stars in the night sky may be about to explode in a rare cosmic（無比巨大的） supernova, which would make it visible during the day, and cast shadows on the Earth at night.
supernova /ˌsuːpəˈnəʊvə/ n. 超新星
visible /ˈvɪzəb(ə)l/ adj. 可見的
cast /kɑːst/ v. 投射
Betelgeuse is the bright orangy-red dot which sits on the shoulder of Orion, and is usually the tenth brightest star in the night sky. Its distinctive colour and position make it one of the easiest to observe. But since October, the star has been dimming to the point where it is difficult to see with the naked eye, and by mid-December it had fallen out of the top 20 brightest.
orangy-red 桔紅色的
dot /dɒt/ n. 小圓點
Orion 獵戶座
distinctive /dɪˈstɪŋktɪv/ adj. 獨特的、與衆不同的
observe /əbˈzɜːv/ v. 觀察
dim /dɪm/ v. 變暗
the naked eye 肉眼、裸眼
Astronomers（天文學家） believe the dimming may suggest that a supernova is imminent. If it did explode, it would become as bright as a full Moon for a few months, casting its own shadow at night, before fading away to nothing, and altering the outline of the Orion constellation（星座） forever.
suggest /səˈdʒest/ v. 表明
imminent /ˈɪmɪnənt/ adj. 即將來臨的
fade away 逐漸消失
alter /ˈɒltə(r)/ v. 改變、修改
outline /ˈaʊtlaɪn/ n. 輪廓
Although bright enough to be seen from Earth, the supernova explosion would not be harmful. The star is located around 600 light years away, which means that if an explosion was seen now, it would actually have occurred 600 years ago.
explosion /ɪkˈspləʊʒ(ə)n/ v. 爆炸、爆發
harmful /ˈhɑːmf(ə)l/ adj. 有害的（由harm加後綴-ful變成形容詞）
light year 光年
occur /əˈkɜː(r)/ v. 發生
Any particles spewing（噴湧而出） from the explosion may reach the Solar System in about six million years but would have a minimal impact because the heliosphere（太陽域） – the Sun's magnetic bubble that encompasses（包圍） all the planets – would be powerful enough to deflect（使改變方向） the gases.
particle /ˈpɑːtɪk(ə)l/ n. 微粒、粒子
solar /ˈsəʊlə(r)/ adj. 太陽的（the Solar System就是太陽系）
minimal /ˈmɪnɪm(ə)l/ adj. 微小的、微不足道的
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 影響
magnetic /mæɡˈnetɪk/ adj. 磁性的
bubble /ˈbʌb(ə)l/ n. 氣泡（magnetic bubble指球形的磁場）
gas /ɡæs/ n. 氣體（這裏指噴出的那些粒子）
Betelgeuse is a massive red supergiant with a mass 12 times that of our Sun and burning so brightly that it is dying after just eight million years. In comparison, our smaller Sun is already five billion years old, and is only middle-aged.
massive /ˈmæsɪv/ adj. 龐大的
red supergiant 紅超巨星
mass /mæs/ n. 質量、重量
in comparison /kəmˈpærɪs(ə)n/ 相比之下
billion /ˈbɪljən/ n. 十億
middle-aged 中年的
After using all of its hydrogen fuel long ago, it's now fusing heavier elements inside its core to the point where iron is being created. But the fusion of iron is the death knell – energy is being absorbed and soon Betelgeuse's huge gravity will cause it to collapse generating a giant shock wave that will rip the star apart as a supernova.
hydrogen /ˈhaɪdrədʒən/ n. 氫
fuse /fjuːz/ v. 聚合（這裏指核聚變）
element /ˈelɪmənt/ n. 元素、化學元素
core /kɔː(r)/ n. 核心
fusion /ˈfjuːʒ(ə)n/ n. 聚合
death knell /ˈnel/ 死亡的徵兆
absorb /əbˈzɔːb/ v. 吸收
gravity /ˈɡrævəti/ n. 重力、地心引力
cause /kɔːz/ v. 造成、導致
collapse /kəˈlæps/ v. 坍塌
generate /ˈdʒenəreɪt/ v. 產生
giant /ˈdʒaɪ(ə)nt/ adj. 巨大的、特大的
shock wave 衝擊波
rip /rɪp/ v. 撕、撕裂
Betelgeuse is known as a variable star, and its brightness goes up and down in well-known cycles. One lasts roughly six years, and another rises and falls every 425 days or so. Those two cycles are colliding（碰撞） in a dimming period at present, but if the star does not brighten again at the end of it, a supernova could be on its way.
variable /ˈveəriəb(ə)l/ adj. 易變的、多變的（由vary加後綴-able變成形容詞）
brightness /ˈbraɪtnəs/ n. 亮度（由bright加後綴-ness變成名詞）
cycle /ˈsaɪk(ə)l/ n. 循環、週期
roughly /ˈrʌfli/ adv. 大約
at present = now
brighten /ˈbraɪt(ə)n/ v. 變亮（由bright加後綴-en變成動詞）
on its way 即將發生
"The biggest question now is when it will explode in a supernova," University of California Berkeley's Sarafina Nance, an expert on Betelgeuse and stellar（恆星的） explosions, said on Twitter. "It would be so incredibly cool. By far and away the most incredible thing to happen in my life."
Twitter 是美國的微博客網站
incredibly /ɪnˈkredəbli/ adv. 難以置信地
by far and away 遠遠（常常用在形容詞或副詞的最高級之前，表示遠遠超過其他事物）
incredible /ɪnˈkredəb(ə)l/ adj. 難以置信的
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