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At low tide, the ocean recedes hundreds of kilometers, exposing the continental shelf like vast deserts, while at high tide walls of water drown agriculture, houses and skyscrapers.
低潮时，海洋后退数百公里，大陆架暴露在外，犹如广阔的沙漠；而高潮时，海浪会淹没农田、房屋和摩天大楼。
And now, almost five months in, the apocalypse has finished its warm-up act.
近五个月过去了，世界末日的预热已结束。
Since the oceans are on average only 3 kilometers deep, the tides have reached their maximum.
由于海洋平均深度只有3公里，潮汐已达到最大值。
Up until now, the water in the oceans could flow, absorbing most of the moon's gravitational squeezing, but now the earth itself is really feeling the squeeze of the ever approaching moon. These aren't so much tides of 'water', but tides of 'rock.'
到目前为止，海洋中的水可以流动，吸收大部分月球引力挤压，但现在地球本身真的感受到了不断接近的月球的挤压。这些不是“水”潮，而是“岩石”潮。
The squeezing of the planet, combined with the weight of quintillions of tons of water sloshing on and off the tectonic plates,
地球的挤压，加上数以亿计吨的水在板块上晃动的重量，
creates enormous stresses below and begins to cause earthquakes of increasing magnitude and intensity.
在下方产生巨大的压力，并开始引发震级和强度不断增加的地震。
It's impossible to say how serious these earthquakes might be or where they occur, but like a child jumping on their bed until it breaks, no good can come of it.
无法说清楚这些地震的严重程度或发生地点，但就像孩子在床上跳来跳去直到床碎了一样，这不会有什么好结果。
Strong tidal forces lead to volcanism on other planets and moons.
强大的潮汐力导致其他行星和卫星发生火山活动。
On earth, squeezing the planet disrupts the magma reservoirs inside the crust, triggering sizable, climate-altering eruptions in Chile, New Zealand, Yellowstone, and elsewhere. Meanwhile, watching patiently above is the moon.
在地球上，挤压地球会破坏地壳内的岩浆库，引发智利、新西兰、黄石公园和其他地方大规模的、改变气候的火山喷发。与此同时，月球在天空中耐心地注视着。
Still no bigger in the sky than a small cloud. Within 75,000 km of earth, it is bright enough to illuminate the night sky like twilight.
天空中的月球仍然没有一朵小云大。在距离地球75000公里的范围内，它足够明亮，可以像黄昏一样照亮夜空。
Month 6 - 7 After half a year, the moon is entering the space once occupied by geosynchronous satellites where it orbits earth every 24 hours.
半年后，月球进入了曾经被地球同步卫星占据的空间，每24小时绕地球运行一次。
It appears to float at one spot in the sky, unmoving, cycling through a full set of phases every day, but only visible to half the planet.
它似乎漂浮在天空中的某个地方，一动不动，每天循环经历一整套相位，但只有一半的地球人可以看到。
With the moon 'stationary' above the earth, the tides seem to freeze in place – half the world flooded,
当月球“静止”在地球上方时，潮汐似乎冻结在原地——一半的世界被淹没，
half with its water seemingly returned to the sea, as if Earth is holding its breath to prepare for the worst.
另一半的水似乎又回到了大海，仿佛地球正屏住呼吸，为最坏的情况做准备。
As the moon sinks further, you might wonder if its gravity would overpower Earth's, pulling you up and ending your misery? Fortunately not.
随着月球进一步下沉，你可能会想，它的引力是否会超过地球的引力，把你拉上来，结束你的痛苦？幸运的是，不会。
The earth's surface gravity is about 6 times stronger than the moon's, so even if the moon were hovering right on top of you, you would still stay on the ground.
地球表面的引力大约是月球的6倍，所以即使月球就在你正上方盘旋，你仍然会留在地面上。
On the moon things are different though: the near side of the moon is more strongly affected by earth's gravity, so during the next few months,
但在月球上，情况有所不同：月球的近侧受地球引力的影响更大，因此在接下来的几个月里，
it starts to stretch forward towards the earth, into something of an egg, triggering deep moonquakes as the lunar rock flexes and changes shape.
它开始向前向地球伸展，变成一个鸡蛋的形状，随着月球岩石的弯曲和形状的改变，引发深层月震。
Though barely noticeable now, this 'squish' will grow to hundreds of kilometers in a matter of months.
虽然现在几乎察觉不到，但这种“挤压”将在几个月内扩大到数百公里。
Month 8 - 11 At this point the apocalypse has arrived and we can summarize the months before the crash as "everybody left has a really bad time".
第8至第11个月时，世界末日已经到来，我们可以将崩溃前的几个月总结为“剩下的每个人都过得很糟糕”。
The tides sweeping over the Earth slow down and then reverse their direction because the moon now orbits earth faster than it rotates.
席卷地球的潮汐减慢，然后逆转方向，因为月球现在绕地球公转的速度比自转的速度快。
The planet will experience an abundance of earthquakes and volcanism.
地球将经历大量地震和火山活动。
Massive amounts of volcanic aerosols rise high into the stratosphere, shiny enough to reflect sunlight back into space.
大量火山气溶胶上升到平流层，足够闪亮，可以将阳光反射回太空。
What little light gets through is rust-red and is periodically diminished by daily eclipses.
透过的少量光线呈铁锈红色，并定期因日食而减弱。
The result is a rapid global cooling, with acid rains and summer snows killing even the hardiest plants. The clock runs out on civilization.
结果是全球迅速降温，酸雨和夏季降雪杀死了最顽强的植物。文明结束了。
Billions have perished while an egg-shaped moon is still drawing closer. Let's get ready for the grand finale.
数十亿人已经死亡，而蛋形月亮仍在靠近。让我们为大结局做好准备。
Month 12 Finally, at the end of the year,, the moon has reached the Roche limit.
终于，在年底，月球已经到达洛希极限。
That's the point where Earth's gravitational pull on the Moon is stronger than the Moon's own gravity.
那是地球对月球的引力大于月球自身引力的临界点。
Things on the lunar surface start falling towards Earth and by the time it crosses 10,000 km the entire moon disintegrates into rubble, smearing itself into a massive ring system around the earth.
月球表面的物质开始向地球坠落，当它越过10000公里时，整个月球就会解体为碎石，成为地球的环。
Fortunately, the moon's disintegration means the misery on Earth has ended.
幸运的是，月球的解体意味着地球上的苦难已经结束。
No moon means the general apocalyptic nature of things comes to a halt. The oceans recede, flowing off the land one last time.
没有月亮意味着事物普遍的末日性质停止了。海洋退去，最后一次从陆地上流过。
Any survivors are treated to a view of tremendous arches spanning the sky, glimmering in the sunlight,
任何幸存者都可以看到横跨天空的巨大拱门，在阳光下闪闪发光，
illuminating the night sky more brilliantly than any full moon ever could, while meteor showers of moondust fill the sky.
照亮夜空，比任何满月都更明亮，而月尘流星雨则布满天空。
It's hard to say what happens next, but the tranquility may be short-lived.
很难说接下来会发生什么，但宁静可能是短暂的。
If too much moondust rains down, friction heats the atmosphere – possibly boiling the oceans.
如果过多的月尘下雨，摩擦会使大气升温，可能使海洋沸腾。
If not, the enormous shadows cast by the rings, combined with all the volcanic and meteoric aerosols,
否则，光环投射出的巨大阴影，加上火山和流星的气溶胶，
block even more sunlight, and a period of runaway cooling could begin that freezes much of earth's surface solid.
将阻挡更多的阳光，并可能开始一段失控的冷却期，使地球表面的大部分地区冻结。
In any case, at some point people will emerge again – from submarines or bunkers or mountaintops.
无论如何，在某个时候，人类会再次出现——从潜艇、掩体或山顶处。
They will not have a great time before rebuilding civilization and their success is not guaranteed – but at least they will try to do so with beautiful rings in the sky.
在重建文明之前，他们不会过得很开心，他们的成功也不一定能保证——但至少他们会在天空中美丽的光环下努力做到这一点。
