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).