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在晴朗的夜空中，能看到很多星星。近来，有一颗很亮的星星突然变暗了。天文学家认为，它即将爆发成为超新星，而这颗超新星将会有满月那么亮。
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（无比巨大的） 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. 可见的
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 桔红色的
dot /dɒt/ n. 小圆点
Orion 猎户座
distinctive /dɪˈstɪŋktɪv/ adj. 独特的、与众不同的
observe /əbˈzɜːv/ v. 观察
dim /dɪm/ v. 变暗
the naked eye 肉眼、裸眼
Astronomers（天文学家） 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. 即将来临的
fade away 逐渐消失
alter /ˈɒltə(r)/ v. 改变、修改
outline /ˈaʊtlaɪn/ n. 轮廓
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、爆发
harmful /ˈhɑːmf(ə)l/ adj. 有害的（由harm加后缀-ful变成形容词）
light year 光年
occur /əˈkɜː(r)/ v. 发生
Any particles spewing（喷涌而出） from the explosion may reach the Solar System in about six million years but would have a minimal impact because the heliosphere（太阳域） – the Sun's magnetic bubble that encompasses（包围） all the planets – would be powerful enough to deflect（使改变方向） the gases.
particle /ˈpɑːtɪk(ə)l/ n. 微粒、粒子
solar /ˈsəʊlə(r)/ adj. 太阳的（the Solar System就是太阳系）
minimal /ˈmɪnɪm(ə)l/ adj. 微小的、微不足道的
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 影响
magnetic /mæɡˈnetɪk/ adj. 磁性的
bubble /ˈbʌb(ə)l/ n. 气泡（magnetic bubble指球形的磁场）
gas /ɡæs/ n. 气体（这里指喷出的那些粒子）
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. 庞大的
red supergiant 红超巨星
mass /mæs/ n. 质量、重量
in comparison /kəmˈpærɪs(ə)n/ 相比之下
billion /ˈbɪljən/ n. 十亿
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. 氢
fuse /fjuːz/ v. 聚合（这里指核聚变）
element /ˈelɪmənt/ n. 元素、化学元素
core /kɔː(r)/ n. 核心
fusion /ˈfjuːʒ(ə)n/ n. 聚合
death knell /ˈnel/ 死亡的征兆
absorb /əbˈzɔːb/ v. 吸收
gravity /ˈɡrævəti/ n. 重力、地心引力
cause /kɔːz/ v. 造成、导致
collapse /kəˈlæps/ v. 坍塌
generate /ˈdʒenəreɪt/ v. 产生
giant /ˈdʒaɪ(ə)nt/ adj. 巨大的、特大的
shock wave 冲击波
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. 易变的、多变的（由vary加后缀-able变成形容词）
brightness /ˈbraɪtnəs/ n. 亮度（由bright加后缀-ness变成名词）
cycle /ˈsaɪk(ə)l/ n. 循环、周期
roughly /ˈrʌfli/ adv. 大约
at present = now
brighten /ˈbraɪt(ə)n/ v. 变亮（由bright加后缀-en变成动词）
on its way 即将发生
"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（恒星的） explosions, said on Twitter. "It would be so incredibly cool. By far and away the most incredible thing to happen in my life."
Twitter 是美国的微博客网站
incredibly /ɪnˈkredəbli/ adv. 难以置信地
by far and away 远远（常常用在形容词或副词的最高级之前，表示远远超过其他事物）
incredible /ɪnˈkredəb(ə)l/ adj. 难以置信的
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