Meteor Shower, Tonga Volcano, Travel Destinations

In today's news, with Nancy and Hope: Lights in the sky, a blast underwater, and the top places to visit next year. Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________ 最快速的 獅子座流星雨 Leonids Fly through the Night Sky Did you catch the meteor shower over the weekend? The Leonids fly through the skies every year in November. This year, they were most visible in Taiwan on November 18th and 19th. Many say the Leonids are one of the most amazing meteor showers. Skywatchers can see up to 15 meteors per hour. And they are among the fastest too. Scientists say these space rocks can fly through the sky at speeds of up to 71 kilometers per second. That's about 256,000 kilometers per hour! 獅子座流星的速度高達每秒71公里，相當於時速25萬公里! And the brightest meteors often have a glowing trail (尾痕). Some even leave trails of smoke (煙) in the sky for several minutes. Sounds like an amazing experience. But if you missed the Leonids, you have another chance next month. 獅子座流星雨高峰期剛過，雙子座流星雨緊接於下月上演。 The Geminids are coming around the middle of December. There's a lot happening up there, make sure to keep watching the sky! ________________________________ 東加海底火山爆發改變海床 Tonga Volcano Eruption Changes Ocean Floor Do you remember the huge volcano eruption in January this year? It happened on January 15th. An underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean erupted. It's close to the country, Tonga. And that eruption was the biggest volcanic eruption in the 21st century. Even now, scientists are learning about just how big that eruption was. The eruption made a plume of ash and water that reached the third layer of Earth's atmosphere, the mesosphere. It went straight up 57 kilometers. It was the highest-recorded volcanic plume ever. And that's about half-way to outer space! 東加海底火山爆發， 煙塵羽流衝上57公里高，是有紀錄以來第一次火山煙塵羽流衝到中氣層。 And scientists now know that the big eruption changed the ocean floor (海床、海底). They say at least 9.5 cubic kilometers of debris (碎屑) was moved around by the eruption. That's about how much could be held in 4,000 Egyptian pyramids! These are amazing facts, but what do we do with them? Scientists say we underestimate (低估) underwater volcanoes. They say all this information will help us understand the level of risk we face. This helps us plan and better prepare for other eruptions. ________________________________ 孤獨星球2023年最值得去的旅行目的地 Lonely Planet's Top Destinations for 2023 It might be a bit early to start a round-the-world trip right this minute. But learning about other places around the world is fun. And it doesn't hurt to be prepared, right? Guidebook company Lonely Planet (孤獨星球) has released its "Best in Travel" list. This year, the list is split into five categories: eat, learn, journey, unwind, and connect. So which places made the list? Lonely Planet says foodies can try out Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The company says the street stalls and local coffee shops have lots of fresh food and delicious tropical juices. 孤獨星球說最佳美食榜單上的吉隆坡有許多當地的小攤子和咖啡廳提共新鮮的特色小吃和現榨果汁。 Or if you want to learn something on your trip, one place Lonely Planet suggests is Marseille, France. The company says aside from its famous beaches, there's also tours to learn about architecture, and even a new museum with cave paintings made 20,000 years ago. How many of these 30 top destinations do you know about? ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites: Did you catch the meteor shower over the weekend? The Leonids were most visible over Taiwan on November 18th and 19th. Many say the Leonids are one of the most amazing meteor showers. ________________________________ Do you remember the huge volcano eruption near Tonga in January this year? That eruption was the biggest volcanic eruption in the 21st century. Even now, scientists are learning about how the eruption changed the ocean floor. ________________________________ And, Guidebook company Lonely Planet has released its "Best in Travel" list. This year, the list is split into five categories: eat, learn, journey, unwind, and connect. ________________________________ And that's today's episode of News Bites!