全世界遙望星空最美的12個地點
12 of the world's most beautiful spots to stargaze
全世界遙望星空最美的12個地點
The night sky is an amazing thing. It's like a map, showing us our place in this vast, ever-expanding universe. And it's like a time machine, allowing us to see billions of years back in time — the amount of time it takes light from some of the most distant cosmic objects to reach us.
夜空極富魅力。它就像一個地圖，在浩瀚並不斷擴大的宇宙中告訴我們自己的方位。它還像一個時光機，帶我們穿梭千年，看到幾十億年前來自遙遠天體的光。
But when it comes to observing the night sky, not all places are equal. If you were to step out on the street in, say, New York City, you might be able to see a tiny speckling of stars across a hazy sky, at best.
但是談到觀測夜空，並不是所有地點都合適。如果你走在街上，例如紐約，通過朦朧的天空你可能只能看到很微弱的星光
There are a lot of factors that work together to create optimal stargazing conditions. The higher the altitude of a site, the drier the air, and the further it is from the light pollution of cities, the more stars you can see in the night sky.
很多因素合力才能創造出最佳的星空觀測點。觀測點的海拔越高，空氣越乾燥，離城市光污染越遠，你將能在夜空中看到越多的星星。
If you're ever in the mood for a night of stargazing (and have access to a jet plane), here are a few spots you should check out.
如果你曾有眺望星空的閒情逸致，這裏有些地點是你該看看的。
The NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia was the first reserve to achieve Gold Tier Dark-sky status from the International Dark-Sky Association, which means its sky quality is ideal for stargazing.
納米比亞的自然保護區是由國際暗天協會評定的，第一個實現黃金級暗天狀態的自然保護區。這意味着那裏的天空質量很適合眺望。
Kruger National Park in South Africa, the largest game reserve in South Africa, is far from pollution and artificial lights of towns and cities.
克魯格國家公園是南非最大的野生動物保護區，它遠離污染和來自城鎮的人造光。
The summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii is nearly 14,000 feet. It's so high that as you climb the mountain you rise above the clouds. If you can power through the cold and the altitude sickness, you'll be rewarded with a clear view of the Milky Way.
位於夏威夷的莫納克亞山有將近14000英尺高，以至於當你爬到山頂時將位於雲層之上。如果你能克服寒冷和高原反應，你的視野將清晰地可以觀察銀河。
Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, has some of the clearest, darkest skies in the world because of its high altitude, its closeness to the equator, and its safe distance from tropical storms.
卡納裏島上的特納裏夫島，高海拔使它擁有世界上最乾淨、最漆黑的夜空之一。它靠近赤道，卻與熱帶風暴保持着安全距離。
The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the driest places on Earth, receiving less than a millimeter of rain each year. The desert has some of the most ideal conditions for stargazing. It has a high altitude, clear skies, and virtually no light pollution.
智利的阿塔卡瑪沙漠是地球上最乾燥的地方之一，每年的降水量少於1毫米。這片沙漠擁有最適合遙望星空的環境。它擁有着較高的海拔、乾淨的天空和幾乎不存在的光污染。
The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, the world's largest dark-sky reserve, sits on top of a plateau in New Zealand. From this reserve, you can see a duo of dwarf galaxies called the Magellanic clouds.
奧拉基麥肯齊國際暗天自然保護區，是世界上最大的暗天狀態自然保護區，位於新西蘭的高地之上。從這片區域，你可以看到叫做麥哲倫星雲的矮星系。
La Fortuna in Costa Rica is home to the Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It is also one of the few places north of the equator that you can see the Magellanic clouds.
在哥斯達黎加，拉瓜伊拉是阿雷納爾火山的故鄉，這是世界上最爲活躍的火山之一。它也是赤道以北爲數不多的可以看到麥哲倫星雲的地區。
The Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico offers extremely dark, clear skies and a high elevation.
美國新墨西哥州的查科國家文化歷史公園有着非常漆黑和乾淨的暗天與高地。
The Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah was the first international dark-sky park in the world. You can see up to 15,000 stars in just one night.
美國猶他州的天然橋國家保護區是世界上的第一個國際暗天公園，在這裏僅一晚，你就可以看到將近15000顆星星。
Snowdonia in Wales is prime dark sky real estate and it is in the process of getting Dark Skies Status, which would protect the area from light pollution.
威爾士的斯諾登尼亞擁有極好的暗天瑰寶，並且它正在向着夜空美景發展，將遠離光污染。
Other than Hawaii and Alaska, Big Bend National Park in Texas is said to have the least light pollution of any other national park. You can see about 2,000 stars with your naked eye.
除了夏威夷和阿拉斯加，美國德克薩斯州的大本德國家公園被稱爲國家公園中受到最少光污染最少的一座，在這裏你裸眼就可以看到約2000顆星星。
With your naked eye, you can see more than 7,000 stars and planets at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory in Galloway Forest Park in Scotland.
在蘇格蘭的加洛韋森林公園的夜空天文臺，你裸眼就可以看到超過7000顆星星。
