2021年7月

阿卡迪亚国家公园里的水獭悬崖，缅因州 Otter Cliffs, Acadia National Park, Maine (© dbimages/Alamy)

Working for that cliffside view

Maine's Acadia National Park serves up spectacular views at most every turn. But the park's Otter Cliffs on Mount Desert Island offer the adventurous among us a chance to take in the picturesque Atlantic shoreline from the edge of a sheer granite wall. Rising some 60 feet above the crashing waves below, the cliffs are shown here at low tide—when the tide is up, that ledge at the bottom is completely submerged.

The spot's become one of New England's premier climbing destinations, with routes beloved by experts and beginners alike. Climbers begin by either rappelling down the cliff or being lowered from the top. The heart races at the bottom, as waves crash against the seawall right below the climber's shoes and ocean spray makes the first few hand- and footholds slippery. From there, the only way out is up, back to the top of this stunning crag and the cap to a thrilling ascent.

在悬崖边工作

缅因州的阿卡迪亚国家公园最多在每个转弯处都能看到壮观的景色。但公园位于荒山岛上的水獭悬崖为我们中的冒险者提供了一个从陡峭的花岗岩墙边缘欣赏风景如画的大西洋海岸线的机会。这些悬崖高出下面汹涌的海浪约60英尺，在低潮时，当涨潮时，悬崖底部的岩壁完全被淹没。

该景点已成为新英格兰首要的登山目的地之一，其路线深受专家和初学者的喜爱。攀岩者一开始要么从悬崖上攀爬下来，要么从山顶往下爬。当海浪拍打着登山者鞋下的海堤时，心脏在底部跳动，海水的浪花使最初的几个手和脚点变得很滑。从那里出发，唯一的出路就是爬上，回到这座令人惊叹的峭壁的顶端，再爬上令人激动的山峰。

密歇根湖畔的阿德勒天文馆，芝加哥伊利诺伊州 Adler Planetarium near Lake Michigan, Chicago, Illinois (© Amazing Aerial Agency/Offset by Shutterstock)

America's oldest planetarium

When it first flicked on the projector lights in 1930, the Adler Planetarium in Chicago was the only one in the Western Hemisphere. At the time, planetariums themselves were only a 7-year-old invention imported from German lens grinders. But the American public's fascination with stars and distant worlds, it turned out, was skyrocketing. By 1934, the Adler had welcomed over a million visitors.

And though our love for space endures, these days in Chicagoland it's tough to catch a clear night sky past all those wonderful bright lights of the Windy City. That helps explain why the Adler still pulls half a million visitors in a typical year, with three state-of-the-art auditoriums and even a massive telescope that lets visitors view far-off galaxies.

美国最古老的天文馆

1930年，芝加哥的阿德勒天文馆（Adler Planetarium）第一次打开投影仪的灯光时，是西半球唯一的天文馆。当时，天文馆本身只是从德国镜头研磨机进口的一项7年发明。但事实证明，美国公众对星星和遥远世界的迷恋正在飙升。到1934年，阿德勒号已经接待了超过一百万的游客。

尽管我们对太空的热爱永存，但如今在芝加哥，要想在这座多风的城市里捕捉到一片晴朗的夜空是很困难的。这有助于解释为什么阿德勒号在一个典型的年份里仍然吸引了50万游客，有三个最先进的礼堂，甚至还有一个巨大的望远镜，可以让游客观看遥远的星系。

乌鲁鲁艺术家布鲁斯·蒙罗的《光之领域》, 澳大利亚 'Field of Light' by artist Bruce Munro at Uluru, Australia (© Sheralee Stoll/Alamy)

Illuminated Uluru

This landmark of the Land Down Under is usually pictured in sweltering desert sunlight. Now a 21st-century addition near the ancient rock of Uluru has people flocking here even at night.

Bruce Munro's 'Field of Light' installations—which blanket landscapes in thousands of small LED lights—have appeared around the globe, first in the artist's native England. But it was decades ago while camping here at Uluru that Munro first had the idea for an immersive artwork that would bathe its surroundings in soft light nightly, like desert flowers that bloom after dusk in the Australian Outback. Munro was finally able to bring 'Field of Light' to this forest near Uluru in 2016, and it became so popular with visitors that it's been extended indefinitely.

照明乌鲁鲁

下面这片土地的地标通常是在闷热的沙漠阳光下拍摄的。现在，在乌鲁鲁古岩附近的一个21世纪的新建筑里，人们甚至在晚上都聚集在这里。

布鲁斯·蒙罗的“光的领域”装置覆盖了数千个小型LED灯的景观，出现在世界各地，首先是在艺术家的祖国英格兰。但几十年前，蒙罗在乌鲁鲁露营时，第一次想到了一件身临其境的艺术品，每晚都能沐浴在柔和的光线中，就像澳大利亚内陆黄昏后盛开的沙漠花朵。蒙罗终于在2016年将“光之场”带到了乌鲁鲁附近的这片森林，它受到了游客的欢迎，因此被无限期地延长了。

Walakiri海滩的红树林，印度尼西亚松巴岛 Mangrove trees, Walakiri Beach, Sumba Island, Indonesia (© Tengguo Wu/Getty Images)

The 'dancing trees' of Sumba Island

On the northern coast of Indonesia's Sumba Island, a stand of mangrove trees appears to dip and sway to summon another dreamy sunrise. Walakiri Beach is gently sloped, so it's easy for a visitor to walk out into the knee-deep water to examine the extraordinary transitional zone of a mangrove ecosystem. Mangroves thrive here at the boundary between land and sea, growing in coastal salt water and low-oxygen conditions where other trees would quickly die. Their complex root systems filter out the salt and form a strong natural defense against storm surges, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion. Mangroves also create aquatic nursery habitats that support a highly diverse range of juvenile fish and crustaceans.

But despite their critical role in maintaining healthy oceans and coastlines, mangroves are disappearing fast, several times faster than forests on land. The United Nations estimates that the world has lost half its mangrove coverage in just the last 40 years. To raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems and to promote solutions for their sustainable management and conservation, the UN has declared that July 26 is International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. We'll dance to that.

桑巴岛的“舞动的树”

在印度尼西亚苏姆巴岛的北部海岸，一片红树林似乎在倾斜和摇摆，召唤着另一个梦幻般的日出。瓦拉基里海滩的坡度很平缓，因此游客很容易走出去，走进齐膝深的海水中，去考察红树林生态系统中非同寻常的过渡地带。红树林生长在陆地和海洋的交界处，生长在沿海咸水和低氧环境中，其他树木很快就会死亡。它们复杂的根系过滤掉盐分，形成强大的天然防御系统，抵御风暴潮、海平面上升和海岸侵蚀。红树林还创造了水生苗圃栖息地，支持高度多样化的幼鱼和甲壳类动物。

但是，尽管红树林在维持海洋和海岸线健康方面发挥着关键作用，但它们正在迅速消失，比陆地上的森林快数倍。联合国估计，仅仅在过去40年里，世界红树林的覆盖率就减少了一半。为了提高人们对红树林生态系统重要性的认识，促进红树林生态系统的可持续管理和保护，联合国宣布7月26日为国际红树林生态系统保护日。我们就跟着跳舞。

皮丘拉湖畔的乌代布尔城市宫殿，印度 (© Chaiyun Damkaew/Getty Images)

东京塔，日本东京都港区 Tokyo Tower in Minato City, Tokyo, Japan (© Yukinori Hasumi/Getty Images)

Let the games (finally) begin!

Shining like an incandescent Olympic torch, the Tokyo Tower is our cue to finally say, 'Let the games begin!' Along with so much else, the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed last year (as you probably heard). But with Covid-19 vaccinations well underway and capacity restrictions in place, Tokyo is hosting the Summer Olympics opening ceremony today, almost exactly one year after the games were originally due to start.

The events will be held at 42 venues in and around the city, with most held in Tokyo itself. Organizers expect some 11,000 athletes from about 200 countries to compete. Four sports will make their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo Games: karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding. Also, baseball and softball, which were last held in 2008, are being reintroduced. Closing ceremonies are scheduled for August 8. Game on!

让竞技（终于）开始吧！

东京塔就像一个炽热的奥运火炬一样闪耀着光芒，它是我们最后一次说‘让奥运开始吧！’与其他许多事情一样，2020年夏季奥运会去年也被推迟了（你可能听说过）。但随着Covid-19疫苗接种工作的顺利进行和容量限制的到位，东京今天将举办夏季奥运会开幕式，几乎正好是奥运会原定开幕一年之后。

这些活动将在东京市内及周边的42个场馆举行，其中大部分在东京举行。组织者预计将有来自大约200个国家的11000名运动员参赛。四个项目将在东京奥运会上首次亮相：空手道、攀岩、冲浪和滑板。此外，棒球和垒球，上次是在2008年举行，正在重新引进。闭幕式定于8月8日举行。比赛开始！

伊豆半岛海岸附近的 Minokake-Iwa 奇岩群，日本 The Minokake-Iwa rocks off the coast of the Izu Peninsula, Japan (© Krzysztof Baranowski/Getty Images)

Singing praises of the oceans

In Japan, mid-July brings an excuse to head to the beach, as if we really needed one. That's because this time of year marks Marine Day (aka Ocean Day), an observance recognizing the close bond the island nation shares with the seas and ocean that surround it. Because Marine Day roughly coincides with the end of the rainy season, it has, over the years, become a sort of unofficial kick off to the hot summer season. One place sure to attract visitors is the picturesque Minokake-Iwa rock formation seen here, lying off the coast of Honshū's mountainous 31-mile-long Izu Peninsula.

Ordinarily Marine Day is observed on the third Monday in July, but this year the holiday was moved to immediately precede the start of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. So, this is the day to hit the beach in Japan, just before the Olympics' opening ceremonies begin tomorrow.

歌颂海洋

在日本，七月中旬给我们带来了一个去海滩的借口，好像我们真的需要一个。这是因为每年的这个时候都是海洋日（又名海洋日），这是一个认可岛国与周围海洋紧密联系的节日。由于海洋日大致与雨季的结束相吻合，多年来，它已成为炎热夏季的一种非正式开端。一个肯定会吸引游客的地方是这里风景如画的Minokake Iwa岩层，位于本什岛31英里长的伊豆半岛的海岸线附近。

通常海洋日是在七月的第三个星期一，但是今年这个节日被转移到了东京夏季奥运会开始之前。所以，今天是去日本海滩的日子，就在明天奥运会开幕式开始之前。

A reflection of Europe's past

Today we're in the central German state of Thuringia to visit Wachsenburg Castle. It's the most famous of a trio of medieval hilltop castles collectively referred to as 'Drei Gleichen' (Three of a Kind) because of their close resemblance. Wachsenburg was originally built by the Hersfeld Monastery sometime in the early 10th century as a fortified castle, but it underwent significant changes over the centuries.

As might be expected of a building nearly 1,100 years old, the castle has housed many different occupants in its time, some of them notorious. Through most of its history it was used as a defensive fortress, and by the 13th century the Counts of Mühlburg had added a moat to help fend off invaders from nearby Hungary. Later, in the mid-15th century, an infamous brigand and wayward knight named Apel von Vitzthum conquered Wachsenburg. He used it as a base to carry out raids against merchants in the nearby town of Erfurt before the locals finally banded together to put an end to his pillaging. The Duke of Saxony took control of the fortress in 1710, but by the late 18th century, it was being used as prison. These days, Wachsenburg plays a different role in the local community. Following a number of renovations, including a major one in the 1990s, it's now a tourist destination complete with restaurant, hotel, and museum.

欧洲历史的反映

今天我们在德国中部的图林根州参观瓦克森堡城堡。它是三座中世纪山顶城堡中最著名的一座，因为它们非常相似，所以被统称为“Drei Gleichen”（一种三座）。瓦克森堡最初是由赫斯菲尔德修道院建于10世纪初的某个时候，作为一个设防的城堡，但它经历了几个世纪的重大变化。

正如人们所料，这座有着近1100年历史的建筑，在它的时代里居住着许多不同的居住者，其中一些人臭名昭著。在其历史的大部分时间里，它被用作防御堡垒，到了13世纪，缪尔堡伯爵又加了一条护城河，以帮助抵御附近匈牙利的入侵者。后来，在15世纪中叶，一个臭名昭著的土匪和任性的骑士命名为阿佩尔冯维茨图姆征服了瓦克森堡。他以这里为基地，对附近埃尔福特镇的商人进行突袭，直到当地人最终联合起来，结束了对他的掠夺。1710年，萨克森公爵控制了这座要塞，但到了18世纪末，它被用作监狱。如今，瓦克森堡在当地社区扮演着不同的角色。经过多次翻修，包括上世纪90年代的一次大型翻修，现在它已成为一个旅游胜地，拥有餐厅、酒店和博物馆。

Fly me to the moon

It was 52 years ago today that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon. Their photographs of the moon and others since then have become commonplace. But for Moon Day—the annual celebration of that first lunar landing—let's take a close look at this extraordinary image of Earth's only natural satellite. Prathamesh Jaju, age 16, of Pune, India, worked for more than 40 hours stitching together this detailed photograph from more than 50,000 images he took of the moon's surface. Jaju, who describes himself as an 'amateur astrophotographer,' used an automated telescope to track the moon's movements over a four-hour period in May 2021. The result is this highly detailed portrait of the moon's craters, textures, shadows, and colors. While this image may be as close as we ever get to the moon, at least we know we'll never gaze at it the same way again.

送我去月球

52年前的今天，宇航员尼尔·阿姆斯特朗和巴斯·奥尔德林成为第一批登陆月球的人类。从那时起，他们拍摄的月球和其他月球的照片就变得司空见惯了。但对于月球日，每年的第一次月球登陆庆典，让我们仔细观察一下地球唯一的天然卫星的非凡景象。来自印度浦那的16岁的Prathamesh Jaju花了40多个小时的时间，从他拍摄的50000多张月球表面照片中拼接出了这张详细的照片。Jaju自称是一名“业余天文摄影师”，他在2021年5月用一台自动望远镜在4个小时的时间内跟踪月球的运动，结果得到了这张非常详细的月球陨石坑、纹理、阴影和颜色的照片。虽然这张照片可能和我们登上月球的距离一样近，但至少我们知道我们再也不会以同样的方式注视它了。

Wander the ancient medina

This colorful alleyway is in the medina—the ancient part—of the Moroccan city of Tétouan. From above, the medina appears to be a maze of ancient white plaster buildings surrounded by rampart walls and seven magnificent gates. But inside the maze, some alleyways like this one display a burst of color, an embellishment created by mixing pigments into the buildings' plaster. The alleyways here are tall and skinny, large enough for a donkey and its handler to pass by, but too small for vehicles, so they invite peaceful strolls through the colorful shade.

The old city was founded by the Amazigh people in the 13th century, but 200 years later, Castilians from the Iberian Peninsula destroyed the fortified settlement. The medina later became a refuge for Muslims and Sephardic Jews from Andalusia who were fleeing the Reconquista and the Spanish Inquisition. These refugees helped rebuild the city that had been destroyed by Castilians, making a significant mark on Tétouan's architecture, art, and cuisine. The medina remains largely unchanged all these centuries later, making it a natural fit as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

漫步古老的麦地那

这条五颜六色的小巷位于摩洛哥特图昂市古老的麦地那。从上面看，麦地那似乎是由古老的白色石膏建筑组成的迷宫，周围有城墙和七扇宏伟的大门。但在迷宫里，一些像这样的小巷展现出一种色彩的爆发，一种将颜料混合到建筑物灰泥中的装饰。这里的小巷又高又瘦，大到可以让驴子和驯驴人经过，但对车辆来说太小了，所以它们邀请人们在五颜六色的树荫下安静地漫步。

这座古城是13世纪阿马齐格人建立的，但200年后，来自伊比利亚半岛的卡斯蒂利亚人摧毁了这个设防的定居点。麦地那后来成为穆斯林和从安达卢西亚逃离收复和西班牙宗教裁判所的塞法德犹太人的避难所。这些难民帮助重建了被卡斯蒂利亚人摧毁的城市，在泰图昂的建筑、艺术和美食上留下了重要的印记。几个世纪后，麦地那基本上保持不变，成为联合国教科文组织的世界遗产地。

星空迷