Both of Mars' moons are vastly nearer her than is our moon to Earth; the nearer moon being but about five thousand miles distant, while the further is but little more than fourteen thousand miles away, against the nearly one-quarter million miles which separate us from our moon. The nearer moon of Mars makes a complete revolution around the planet in a little over seven and one-half hours, so that she may be seen hurtling through the sky like some huge meteor two or three times each night, revealing all her phases during each transit of the heavens.
The further moon revolves about Mars (дальняя Луна обращается вокруг Марса; to revolve — вращаться) in something over thirty and one-quarter hours (примерно за тридцать часов с четвертью; something — примерно, приблизительно), and with her sister satellite makes a nocturnal Martian scene (и вместе со спутником-братом: «с сестринским спутником» превращает ночной пейзаж Марса) one of splendid and weird grandeur (в пейзаж величественного и сверхъестественного великолепия; grandeur — великолепие, грандиозность). And it is well that nature has so graciously and abundantly lighted the Martian night (и хорошо, что природа столь милостиво и щедро осветила марсианскую ночь; gracious — милостивый, милосердный; abundant — обильный, изобильный), for the green men of Mars, being a nomadic race (так как зеленые люди Марса, будучи кочевым племенем; nomadic — кочевой, бродячий) without high intellectual development (без высокого интеллектуального развития; to develop — развивать), have but crude means for artificial lighting (имеют лишь примитивные средства для искусственного освещения; artificial — искусственный; crude — необработанный, неочищенный; незрелый, неспелый; грубый, топорный), depending principally upon torches (и зависят прежде всего от факелов; to depend on smth. — зависеть от чего-либо), a kind of candle, and a peculiar oil lamp (разновидности свечи и своеобразной масляной лампы; kind — сорт, разновидность) which generates a gas and burns without a wick (которая образовывает какой-то газ и горит без фитиля).
nocturnal [nOk'tW n(q)l], graciously ['greISqslI], peculiar [pI'kju: lIq], artificial ["Q: tI'fIS(q)l]
The further moon revolves about Mars in something over thirty and one-quarter hours, and with her sister satellite makes a nocturnal Martian scene one of splendid and weird grandeur. And it is well that nature has so graciously and abundantly lighted the Martian night, for the green men of Mars, being a nomadic race without high intellectual development, have but crude means for artificial lighting, depending principally upon torches, a kind of candle, and a peculiar oil lamp which generates a gas and burns without a wick.