Around the world﹕Moon going noble?
【明報專訊】Dr Panda is inviting Pat and Bill to view the super blue blood moon eclipse tonight. Bill is confused...
“ Dr Panda: Shall we view the blue blood moon tonight? ”
“ Pat: Sure! I have to get prepared... ”
“ Bill: The blue-blooded moon...? ”
“ Dr Panda: Bill's so late... ”
“ Pat: Here he is! Bill, why are you dressed in such an extravagant way? ”
“ Bill: Aren't we meeting the blue-blooded moon? It is supposed to be decent. ”
“ Dr Panda: It's blue blood moon! It means a lunar eclipse and the second full moon happening in the same month... ”
■Culture tips
The blue blood moon eclipse
A second full moon in a month is called a blue moon. Lunar eclipses occur when the moon passes into Earth's shadow. A blood moon refers to the moon after a lunar eclipse due to the filtering of lights, which result in the red colour. The media reported that Australia will be the best place to view the moon. According to the Hong Kong Observatory (香港天文台), the eclipse will start at 6:49pm tonight and end at 0:10am.
Chinese people are familiar with the myth that a "celestial dog" (天狗) swallows the moon each year. Similar stories are told elsewhere around the world. The native American thought that the moon had many wives and children — when the children got hungry, they assaulted the moon and ate it.
■English highway﹕blue-blooded
It refers to the quality of being noble (貴族).
e.g. He comes from an elite school and considers himself blue-blooded.
■Glossary
extravagant (adj) 奢侈的
decent (adj) 得體的
assault (v) 襲擊
elite (adj) 精英的
[Smarties' Power English 第207期]
