星空故事

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熒惑

　火星是太陽系由內往外的第4顆行星，因其位置及光度變化不定，中國稱之為「熒惑」。

　有關火星的趣事很多，較為人熟悉是火星表面的所謂「運河」。望遠鏡發明後，人類觀測火星，總覺得其表面的暗綠色斑紋是隨火星季節而變化；19世紀末至20世紀初，天文學家普遍相信這是火星上綠色植物繁衍和枯萎的證據。

　另一有趣事件發生在1938年的萬聖節，當晚美國CBS廣播公司給美國人開了一個玩笑，電台以新聞直播形式播出改編自由赫伯特．喬治．威爾斯撰寫的《世界戰爭》的廣播劇，內容提及火星人將登陸美國，逾百萬聽眾信以為真，陷入火星人侵略地球的恐慌中。

The God of War

　Mars is the 4th planet from the Sun. Because of its bloody red hue, it was then named after the "Roman God of War".

　Many stories are linked to Mars. One of the most famous examples is about the "canals" on Mars. In the early 20th century, astronomers observed Mars through telescopes, and they commonly regarded the changes in the darkish green markings as plantations on the planet.

　In the evening of the 1938 Halloween, CBS broadcast a radio drama version of H.G.Wells' "The War of the Worlds" in the form of a news bulletin. It caused quite a panic to more than a million American people. 　■甄枝強　資深天文愛好者