Full-moon arrives two days late for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋月今年不圓 天文館：真正月圓要晚兩天

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字 
1.Mid-Autumn Festival n. 中秋節 
 2.full moon n. 月圓、滿月 
3.moon cake n. 月餅 
4.telescope n. 望遠鏡 

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival — a day traditionally celebrated by family reunion, enjoying the full moon and eating moon cakes. However, the Taipei Astronomical Museum (TAM) has pointed out that the moon on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival this year is not really a full moon; the actual full moon will in fact occur two days later on Friday Oct. 6 (Aug. 17 in the lunar calendar) at 2:40am in the morning. As such, the moon that we will see this mid-autumn evening is not a true full moon: Around 2 percent of the moon will be hidden in the dark and not visible. 今天是中秋節，也是全家團圓在一起賞月、吃月餅的日子。但台北市立天文科學教育館指出，今年中秋節不是滿月的日子，真正的月圓時間是在六日（農曆八月十七日），即本週五的凌晨二時四十分，在日期上晚了兩天。因此我們今年中秋夜見到的月亮並不圓，整個月面還有約百分之二仍隱在黑暗中不可見。

The TAM also invites the public to take part in a Mid-Autumn Festival special event that will take place between 7pm and 9pm and will include five activity areas and 22 astronomical telescopes for the public to photograph and enjoy the moon. 天文館也表示，今天晚間七時至九時將舉辦中秋特別活動，共有五大活動區、二十二部天文望遠鏡邀民眾一同拍月、賞月。

There is also an exhibition called “Take me to the moon” on display in the museum’s first floor lobby which will stay open through to Dec. 24. The exhibition includes a brief introduction to the moon, a history of human exploration of the moon, as well as educational games such as the popular “lunar sea fantasy” game and full-moon puzzles for children and adults to explore and enjoy. 天文館即日起至十二月二十四日，也在一樓大廳舉辦「帶我去月球展」，包括月球簡介、人類探索月球計劃，以及小朋友喜愛的月海想像與滿月拼圖小遊戲等，歡迎大小朋友參觀。 （中央社）

 (CNA, translated by Lin Lee-kai) 

DID YOU KNOW? 你知道嗎？ 
As the matter of fact, the chances of having full moon on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival are not very high. In the 45-year period starting from 1986 and ending in 2030, there will be only 15 instances of a full moon on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival — the odds are only one-in-three. The last time there was a full moon on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival was Sept. 19, 2013 and the next time will be on Sept. 21, 2021. 中秋節當天是滿月的機率其實並沒有非常高。從一九八六年到二○三○年的四十五年期間，將有十五次中秋適逢滿月，其占比不過是三分之一左右而已。上一次的中秋滿月是二○一三年九月十九日，而下一次的中秋滿月將是二○二一年九月二十一日。 

Music 音樂: Harvest Moon 牧場物語 by Neil Young 尼爾·楊

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Pomelo picking tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節吃文旦 挑柚技巧學三招！

"Happy Mid-Autumn  Moon Festival!" (中秋節快樂)

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. citrus adj. 柑橘的

2. pomelo n. 柚子

3. pulp n. 果肉

4. ripe adj. 成熟

5. wrinkle n.皺紋

6. juicy adj.多汁

The pomelo, scientific name citrus maxima, is a kind of citrus fruit that has been cultivated to produce a variety of strains. Wendan is a type of pomelo, and other kinds include the honey pomelo, peiyu (citrus grandis Osbeck), pink grapefruit and grapefruit. Wendan comes in varieties with red pulp or lime white pulp, depending on where they are grown. Whatever their origin, they are collectively known as “wendan pomelo.” 柚是柑橘類果樹，其學名為Citrus maxima，經育種後有不同的品種，所以文旦是柚子的一種，其他還有蜜柚、白柚、紅柚及葡萄柚等多樣品種；而文旦又會因環境不同而有紅肉與白肉的果實之分，但不管是在台灣哪個產地，通常柚農們泛稱文旦為「文旦柚」。

We should put aside the idea that “bigger is better” when buying wendan pomelos, which are only available in the season around Mid-Autumn Festival. The following are some tips on how to pick the perfect pomelo: 針對中秋節才吃得到的「文旦柚」，在選購時要屏除以往「水果選越大的越好」的觀念，選購時應掌握以下原則：

Tip 1: Bigger bottom, small in size 第一、下盤要穩重，個子要嬌小

“The tumbler principle”: pick the smaller sized wendan pomelos with pointed tip, short neck, and wider bottom. 「不倒翁原則」：建議依小顆的下手，選擇頭尖、頸短、下盤寬的文旦柚。

Pointed tip and short neck means rich pulp and thin rind, and wider bottom means the fruit is riper. However, avoid pomelos that tilt when placed on a table. 頭尖、頸短代表果肉充足皮又薄，底部寬大代表文旦柚越成熟，如果發現放在桌上文旦柚會歪斜，就應避免選購。

Tip 2: Weighty and wrinkled 第二、重量重且呈現皺紋

Juicy pulp is an important factor for the taste of wendan pomelos: weighty pomelos mean juicy pomelos. In addition, if the peel is wrinkled, it means the moisture of the peel has been fully absorbed by the pulp, in which case the fruit will be juicy and full of taste. 多汁的果肉是文旦柚美味的重要因素，重量重代表內含的水分多。另外，如果外皮呈現皺紋，代表柚皮的水分已經被吸收到果肉裡，此時吃起來的口感就會是多汁又飽滿喔！

Tip 3: Color and peel show the ripeness 第三、 顏色、外皮代表熟度

If the pomelo’s peel is yellow, it is ready to eat; if green, it is better to wait until it turns yellow. Next, look out for bumps on the peel: if the peel is smooth and shiny, the fruit is not yet ripe, and it is best to wait before eating it; if the peel is wrinkled and is not very smooth, you know it is ready to eat. 柚子的外觀若是黃色，代表可以直接吃，綠色則是要等一段時間轉為黃色後，口感較佳。再來可以看外皮的顆粒，如果飽滿有光澤，表示尚未成熟，還需久放再吃，若是外皮已經呈現皺褶、沒那麼光滑，就代表可以吃囉！

(Liberty Times, translated by Lin Lee-kai)