第1334期：昨夜今晨，你看见雷纳德彗星了吗？

传了好久了，说是一生一次的机会，今年最亮的彗星，肉眼（加望远镜）可见，错过了要再等八万年云云。

我昨晚睡前看了一眼阳台上能看到的天空每个角落，没有彗星或流星，只有一枚胖月亮。也许是城市太亮，也许是周围光源太多。这里不是彗星的家，彗星的家乡没有霓虹灯。

以上说的就是这几天最接近地球的雷纳德彗星C/2021 A1 (Leonard)，据说昨夜今晨距地球仅有34,900,000 km.

这颗彗星今年1月3日由美国亚利桑那大学研究员G. J. Leonard偶然发现，因此得名Leonard.

据说这颗彗星还没远去，18号之前都还有可能看见。你试试吧，我已对它没了兴趣。

推荐一个掌握彗星实时位置的网站：

https://theskylive.com/cometleonard-info

设定观测位置Shanghai后，得到下面的信息：

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

• C/2021 A1 (Leonard) is above the horizon from Shanghai (CN).

• It is visible looking in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 24° above the horizon.

• Given its current magnitude, C/2021 A1 (Leonard) is easily visible with the help of a small binocular.

• See also C/2021 A1 (Leonard) rise and set times.

• Go to interactive sky chart

祝你好运。如果你看见了它，say hello for me.

今天谈彗星，格外有意义。意义不在于昨夜今晨我错过的雷纳德彗星，而是一个人。

如果你有耐心，可以扫读下面这首英文小诗。

A Poem: The Night When I Saw a Comet

When I was little

I liked to sit alone

At a nook, or

a corner,

As long as ’twas noteless

I would site there

long and still —

people-watching

As long as I was invisible

The sun was always late —

The wind chill

But I never minded

As long as I had a book to read

One day

I thought I had seen a comet

It must be —

a long and lonely tail

glittering and flickering

soundless and wispy

That night

I woke up crying

It was the comet in my dream —

When you pass by next time

I won’t be here

Anymore

我写的。有一天在一本书中偶然读到一句写哈雷彗星的诗 —— “下次你路过，人间已无我”。

瞬间被震撼到落泪，无法描述的感受。

这位诗人叫余光中。

四年前的今天，2017年12月14日，诗人余光中病逝于台湾高雄，享寿90岁。

这首英文小诗是我向诗人致敬之作，受了那句诗的震动，来不及斟酌与格律，一气呵成——A nod to the Chinese poet Yu Kwang-chung (Yu Guangzhong).