london, england ( ap ) - - a dark red shadow crept across the moon saturday during the first total lunar eclipse in nearly three years, thrilling stargazers and astronomers around the world.

伦敦，英国（联合通讯社）--星期六，暗红色的阴影爬上了月球的表面，这是近三年来的首次月全蚀，这次月全蚀让全世界的天文学家们都激动不以。

a total lunar eclipse also occurs when the sun, earth and moon are almost exactly in line, leaving the full moon appear much dimmer than usual.

而太阳、地球和月亮又几乎处于一条线上，月全食出现，导致满月比往常晦暗许多。

a total lunar eclipse occurs as the full moon is shadowed by the earth on the arrival of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, on december 21, 2010 in truckee, california.

当地球完全遮住了月亮的时候，就发生了月全食。2010年12月21号冬至，一年中一天最短的时候，在加利福利亚州的特拉基看到的月全食。

the most powerful energies are being found in the upcoming total lunar eclipse on the 15th of june and the solstice on the 21st of june 2011.

最伟大的能量正在被发现，在即将来临的6月15日的月食，以及2011年6月21日的至日。

sky watchers will be hoping for a cloudless sky this evening （bst）so they can get the best view of the longest total lunar eclipse since 2000.

据英国《每日邮报》6月15日报道：天文观测者们期待今晚（英国夏令时）天气晴朗，这样他们就能够欣赏到自2000年以来持续时间最长的月全食了。

the next total lunar eclipse will fall on dec. 10 with best viewing from asia and australia.

再下一次月全食将会发生在12月10日，在亚洲和澳大利亚观看最佳。

remarkably, the total lunar eclipse coincided with the date of the december solstice.

值得注意的是，这次月全食恰好发生在冬至日。

the last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs wednesday night.

报道说的是，2010年之前的最后一次月全食于周三晚上出现。

then when was the last time that we had a total lunar eclipse occur on the same date as the winter solstice?

那么上一次人类在冬至时节看到月全食是什么时候呢？

wednesday「s event will be the last total lunar eclipse until dec. 20, 2010.

周三晚上的这次月食是2010年12月20号之前最后一次月全食。

a painting of a total lunar eclipse viewed from the surface of the moon, as imagined by lucien rudax in the 1920s.

一幅从月球表面观看月全食的绘画，法国天文科普大师吕都（lucienrudaux）在20世纪20年代的想像画作。

the last total lunar eclipse visible from the u.s. occurred on dec. 21, 2010, which coincided with winter solstice and was widely observed.

最近一次在美国可见的月全食发生在2010年12月21日，那天恰巧是冬至，所以月食能够被大多数地区观察到。

the image was taken during a total lunar eclipse when the normally bright full moon turned into a faint orb tinted orange by the intervening earth」s atmosphere.

这张图片是在月全食时拍摄的，当时本该明亮的满月由于地球大气层的干涉，变成了一个橙色的黯淡光球。

finally, this raises the question -- prior to 2010, when was the last time that we had a total lunar eclipse occur on the same calendar date as the winter solstice?

最后，这又产生了一个问题——2010年以前，最后一次出现和冬至相同的日期发生月全食是什么时候呢？

the last total lunar eclipse – when the sun, earth and moon are almost exactly in line, with the moon and sun on opposite sides of the planet – was in february 2008.

上一次日食发生在2008年2月，当时太阳，地球和月亮完全在同一条直线上，月亮和太阳分别在地球的两边。

skywatchers in parts of europe, africa, central asia and australia have been watching the first total lunar eclipse of 2011 and the longest in nearly 11 years.

欧洲部分地区、非洲、中亚和澳洲的观测者们看到了2011年的第一场月全食——也是近11年来持续时间最长的一次月全食。