The Sky's Big Day

HSK 3 · 147 characters · Global Contexts

A solar eclipse and a meteor shower on the same day — August 12 was a big day in the sky.

八月bā yuè十二shí èr号hào，天上tiān shàng有yǒu两liǎng件jiàn大事dà shì。On August 12, there were two big events in the sky.白天bái tiān，有yǒu日食rì shí。During the day, there was a solar eclipse.日食rì shí的de时候shí hou，月亮yuè liang走到zǒu dào太阳tài yang的de前面qián miàn。During a solar eclipse, the moon moves in front of the sun.天tiān变黑biàn hēi了le，白天bái tiān变成biàn chéng了le晚上wǎn shang。The sky went dark — day turned into night.

在zài西班牙xī bān yá和hé冰岛bīng dǎo，很多人hěn duō rén看到kàn dào了le日食rì shí。In Spain and Iceland, many people saw the eclipse.在zài欧洲Ōu zhōu，上shàng一次yī cì的de大dà日食rì shí是shì1999年nián。In Europe, the last big eclipse was in 1999.那是nà shi二十èr shí七qī年nián以前yǐ qián！That was twenty-seven years ago!

晚上wǎn shang，天上tiān shàng还有hái yǒu流星雨liú xīng yǔ。At night, there was also a meteor shower in the sky.每个měi gè小时xiǎo shí有yǒu五十wǔ shí到dào一yī百bǎi个gè流星liú xīng。There were fifty to one hundred meteors every hour.因为yīn wèi那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang没有méi yǒu月亮yuè liang，天tiān很hěn黑hēi，流星liú xīng很hěn清楚qīng chu。Because there was no moon that night, the sky was very dark and the meteors were very clear.

很多人hěn duō rén晚上wǎn shang不bù睡觉shuì jiào，一起yī qǐ看kàn天tiān。Many people didn't sleep at night and watched the sky together.白天bái tiān看kàn太阳tài yang，晚上wǎn shang看kàn流星liú xīng，真是zhēn shi天上tiān shàng的de大dà日子rì zi！The sun by day, meteors by night — truly a big day in the sky!