太阳系的奇迹1-太阳帝国(中英文解说词)
中山教育信息网-祝福老师的短信
我们生活的世界充满奇迹
We live on a world of
wonders.
它的美叫人惊叹 错综复杂又让人唏嘘
A place of
astonishing beauty and complexity.
这里有浩瀚的海洋
We have vast oceans
不可思议的天象
and
incredible weather.
还有巍峨的群山 壮美的景观
Giant
mountains and breathtaking landscapes.
你要是以为这就是全部
If you think that this is all
there is,
布莱恩·考克斯教授
以为我们的地球孤立存在
that
our planet exists in magnificent isolation,
那你就错了
then you're wrong.
我是物理学家
着迷于自然界的法则
As a physicist, I'm fascinated by
how the laws of nature
这些法则塑造万物
that
shaped all this
同样也塑造地球之外的世界
also shaped
the worlds beyond our home planet.
我觉得我们所处的时代是人类文明史上
I think we're living
through the greatest age of discovery
最伟大的探索发现时代
our civilisation has known.
我们航行到达太阳系最远端
We've voyaged to the farthest
reaches of the solar system.
我们拍摄下新奇古怪的世界
We've photographed strange new worlds,
站在异域之中 品玩外星空气
stood in unfamiliar
landscapes, tasted alien air.
而位于太阳系中心的 是其动力场
And at the heart of it all is the powerhouse.
是我们每天都要迎接的奇迹
A vast wonder that we greet
each day.
是一颗主宰着其域内所有世界的恒星
A star that
controls each and every world in its thrall.
看哪
Look at that!
太阳
'The sun.'
如若它哪天消失了 那将会是我们真正的末日
And when it
goes, it really will be the end of us all.
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总监：Joanna 鱼骨头
太阳系的奇迹
第一集 太阳帝国
这里是瓦拉纳西
This is Varanasi.
对印度人来说
全印度最神圣的地点之一
For Hindus, it's one of the
holiest sites in all of India.
它如此特别 原因之一在于
Part of what makes it so special
印度的圣河
is the orientation of its sacred river
流经此地时的流向
as it flows past the city.
这里是恒河唯一一处
This is the one place on the
Ganges
可以在这一侧的河岸洗澡
where you can bathe in
the river on this shore
并且在东岸看到日出的地方
and
you can see the sunrise on the eastern shore.
因为恒河只有在这里
It's the only place where the
Ganges
才转向了北方
turns around to the north so
you can do that.
当明早太阳升起的时候
When the sun
rises tomorrow,
一个真正的奇幻景象将要上演
a truly
extraordinary phenomenon will take place:
日全食
a total eclipse of the sun.
对于这个在古印度人眼中
It's an auspicious occasion
是太阳之城的地方
这是个吉祥的时刻
for a place that ancient Hindus knew
as the Solar City.
科学不同于其它的思想体系
Science is
different to all the other systems of thought,
比如在这座城市践行了数千年的
the belief systems
that have been practised
宗教体系
in this city
for millennia,
因为科学不需要你来信仰它
because you
don't need faith in it.
你完全可以去证实它
You can
check that it works.
举例来说
So, for example,
我可以准确地告诉你明天早晨6点24分
I can tell you that
tomorrow morning at precisely 6:24 am
太阳会被月亮全部遮住
the moon will cover the face of
the sun
到时将要发生日全食
and there will be a
total solar eclipse.
我也可以告诉你在2904年
I can
tell you that in 2904
这一年里地球上能看到五次日全食
there will be five solar eclipses on the earth
我还可以告诉你到2186年7月16日这一天
and I can tell you
that on July 16th, 2186
将会发生五千年来历时最长的一次日全食
there will be the longest solar eclipse
长达七分钟
for 5,000 years- seven minutes.
太阳统治着一个庞大的星球帝国
The sun reigns over a vast
empire of worlds,
每一个星球都如钟表般规律地运动
all
moving like clockwork.
在它的域内
Everything
within its realm
一切皆遵循天体力学
obeys the laws
of celestial mechanics
这个由伊萨克·牛顿爵士于十七世纪发现的规律
defined by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th
century.
这些规律使得我们能够精准预测出
These laws allow
us to predict exactly
若干世纪之后每一个星球的去向
where
each world will be for centuries to come.
无论你身在哪里
And wherever you happen to be,
只要月亮挡在了你和太阳之间
if there's a moon between
you and the sun,
日食便会发生
there will
be an eclipse.
这显然是木星 它有很多卫星
Of course,
Jupiter, plenty of moons,
这是一幅罕见的照片
and
this is a rare picture
2004年春天由哈勃太空望远镜拍下来的
taken by the Hubble space telescope in spring
2004
你可以看见上面有三个卫星的影子
where you can see the
shadows of three moons on the surface,
三种全食同时发生
three eclipses simultaneously.
现在这样的奇观几十年才会发生一次
Now, this kind of event
only happens once every few decades.
土星
有很多的卫星
Saturn, plenty of moons.
在所有太阳系发生的全食图片里
I think these are my
favourite of all the pictures
我想这一组图片是我最喜欢的了
of eclipses in the solar system
因为这些图片是从火星的表面
because these are pictures
taken from the surface of Mars
由机遇号火星车
朝着太阳的方向拍摄下来的
by the Opportunity rover looking
up at the sun.
上面可以看见火星的卫星Phobos[火卫一]
And
you can see Mars's moon, Phobos,
经过日面的过程
as it makes its way across the disk of the
sun.
这是一个从其它星球表面观测到的日食
So this is a
solar eclipse, partial solar eclipse,
准确来讲是日偏食
from the surface of another world.
未来的宇航员们
The astronomers of the future
会发现别处的日偏食
will discover that these partial eclipses
永远比不上地球上的
can never measure up to the ones
back home.
这是因为 在这里
And that's because,
here on Earth,
人类占据着太阳系中
humans have the
best seat in the solar system
观看日全食盛况的
from which to enjoy the spectacle
最佳位置
of a total eclipse of the sun.
全在于命运神来之笔
All thanks to a wonderful quirk
of fate.
太阳的直径是月球的四百倍
The sun is 400 times
the diameter of the moon but,
纯属巧合的是
by
sheer coincidence,
日地距离也是地月距离的四百倍
it's 400
times further away from the earth.
所以当月亮绕到太阳的前面时
So when our moon passes in
front of the sun,
可以把它完全挡住
then it can
completely obscure it.
太阳系里有大约
Now there's
something like between, what,
145到167颗卫星
145 and 167 moons in the solar system,
计数方法不同得出结果不一样
depending on how you count
them,
但只有地球的卫星
but none of them produce
才能产生出如此美妙的全食
such perfect eclipses as the
earth's moon.
正因太阳系的奇巧排布
This accidental
arrangement of the solar system
我们可以在这里
这个特定的地方
means we're living in exactly the
right place
于明天早晨 这个特定的时间
and, tomorrow
morning, exactly the right time
欣赏到最难得的天文学现象
to enjoy the most precious of astronomical
events.
距地球最近的恒星[太阳]最为奇特
Our closest star
is the strangest,
是整个太阳系中最迥异的一颗
most alien
world in the solar system.
我们无望登陆那里
It's a
place we can never hope to visit
但我想告诉大家
but I want to show you that,
通过太空探索加上一些偶然发现
through space exploration
and a few chance discoveries,
我们对太阳的认识
our
generation is getting to
会在这个时代更上一层楼
know the sun in exquisite new detail.
太阳于我们是一切 但对拥有两千亿星辰的
For us, it's
everything and yet it's just one ordinary star
浩瀚银河系来说 它只是一颗普通的恒星
amongst 200 billion
starry wonders that make up our galaxy.
这里是太阳系的边缘领域
This is the remote frontier of
the solar system,
有一颗叫作莎娜[意为海之女神]的行星
a
dwarf planet known as Sedna.
它距离地球130亿千米 从这望去
Seen from out here, 13 billion kilometres away
from Earth,
太阳只是一粒星体
the sun is just
another star.
天王星比它近100亿千米
Uranus is 10
billion kilometres closer in,
但即便如此
日出在这里几乎无法察觉
but even so, sunrise is barely
perceptible.
这里看到的太阳
The sun hangs in the
sky
比在地球上看到的要小三百倍
300 times smaller than
it appears on Earth.
更近一点的是土星
Further in,
we come to Saturn.
奇妙的土星环把太阳光
Its
spectacular rings reflect
反射到它黑暗的一面
the
sun's light onto its dark side.
这颗行星不仅沐浴在阳光中
This planet is bathed, not just in sunshine,
也照耀在环光中
but in ring-shine.
2亿3百万千米开外
230 million kilometres out,
我们遇到第一个
we
arrive at the first world
可以看见太阳熟悉脸庞的星球
with a more familiar view of the sun.
这是火星上的日出
This is sunset on Mars,
由精神号机器人探测器捕捉到
as seen by the robotic
rover, Spirit.
地球之外 远在1亿5千万千米的地方
Past
Earth, 150 million kilometres out,
我们继续向太阳系的中心进发
we continue to head
to the heart of the solar system.
水星是靠我们最近的行星
Mercury is the closest planet,
只有4千6百万千米的距离
just 46 million kilometres
out.
它缓缓地转动着
It spins so slowly
从日出到日落要经过176个地球日
that sunrise to sunrise
lasts for 176 Earth days.
远处 正是那赤裸裸的太阳
Beyond, there is nothing but the naked sun,
巨大的火球拷打着其上的物质
a colossal fiery sphere of
tortured matter,
炽热地燃烧着
burning with a
temperature at its core
日心温度高达摄氏1千5百万度
of
over 15 million degrees Celsius.
纵贯人类历史
这个壮丽的奇迹
Throughout human history, this
majestic wonder
源源不断地发散着安逸 敬畏和崇拜之情
has
been a constant source of comfort, awe and
worship.
这里是加州的死亡之谷
This is Death Valley
in California,
地球上最热的地方
regularly the
hottest place on the planet,
汽车仪表盘显示今天的气温达到华氏111度
and today the car
says it's 111 degrees Fahrenheit,
摄氏45度
45
degrees Celsius.
几个世纪以来
For centuries,
顶尖科学家们
the finest minds in science
上下求索试图弄懂
struggled to understand the
origin
太阳看似无限的热和能从何而来
of the sun's
seemingly endless heat and energy.
由什么构成
What is it made of?
又是如何形成
Where did
it come from?
以及这惊人能量的源头在哪里
And what is
the source of its phenomenal power?
后来 1838年
英国物理学家约翰·赫歇尔
Then, in 1838, British
physicist John Herschel,
突破性地尝试
took on
the endeavour in his experimental attempt
捕捉太阳光束
to catch a sunbeam.
那么究竟有多少能量从太阳
So how much energy does fall
on the surface
散发到地球表面呢
of the earth from
the sun?
我们可以用一个精巧的实验计算出来
You can work it
out with a beautifully simple experiment
只需一根温度计 一听装满水的罐头 还有一把伞
using only a
thermometer, a tin full of water and an umbrella.
先让罐头里的水
Basically, you let the water
升温到同等于周围环境
heat up in the tin to ambient
temperature
今天死亡之谷的气温是
which, here in
Death Valley today,
摄氏46度左右
is about 46
degrees Celsius.
然后把温度计放入水中
And then you
put the thermometer in the water
撤掉遮阳的伞
and you take the shade away
让太阳照射水面
and let the sun shine on the water.
阳光直射下
水温开始升高
In direct sunlight, the water
temperature begins to rise.
测定太阳照射下
By
timing how long it takes the sun
水温每升高1℃度所花时间
to raise the water temperature by one degree
Celsius,
可以计算出太阳传递给
you can figure out
exactly how much energy
罐中水的精确能量
the sun
has delivered into the can of water,
据此又可推算出
and from that, how much energy is delivered
地表每平米接收到的能量
to a square metre of the
surface.
实验结果表明 晴朗的天气状况下
It turns out
that, on a clear day
太阳当头照时
when
the sun is vertically overhead,
能量约为一千瓦
that number is about a kilowatt.
这就是说
That's ten 100 watt bulbs
太阳传至地表每平米的能量
can be powered by the sun's energy
可供10个100瓦的灯泡工作
for every metre squared of
the earth's surface.
赫歇尔大胆向前迈出一步
In an
audacious leap of imagination,
基于这个数据他计算了
Herschel used this figure to calculate the
entire energy
太阳散发出的全部能量
given off by the
sun.
试想 把这整片地域的
So imagine adding up
those kilowatts
千瓦数加总起来有多大
over this
entire landscape.
再试想 太阳的光辉撒遍
And then
imagine following the sun's rays
整个地球表面的能量有多大
as they cover the entire surface of the earth.
但此时 想象一下
But then, imagine this,
地球距离太阳1亿5千万千米
the earth is 150 million
kilometres away from the sun,
所以实际上
太阳以1亿5千万千米的幅度
so actually, the sun is
radiating energy out
在我们星球的周围
across a
giant sphere
向一个巨大的空间散发着它的能量
with a radius
of 150 million kilometres surrounding our star.
这又是多大的能量呢
How much energy does that make?
算起来是四乘以派再乘以
It's four times pi times the
地日距离的平方 结果为...
distance to the sun
squared, which is about...
400亿亿瓦
It's 400
million million million million watts.
太阳这一秒内散发的能量
That is a million times the
power consumption
相当于美国一年消耗总能量的100万倍
of the United States every year,
radiated in one second.
我们用了一些水 一根温度计
And
we worked that out by using some water,
一个罐头
还有一把伞 就把它算出来了
a thermometer, a tin and an
umbrella.
这就是我喜欢物理的原因
And that's why I
love physics.
恒星持续产生如此惊人的能量
It's a wonder
of our star that it's managed to keep up
长达数千年之久是一个奇迹
this phenomenal rate of
energy production for millennia.
像太阳这样的恒星
Stars like the sun
其存在时间和稳定性都是令人难以置信的
are incredibly long-lived and stable.
我们对宇宙年龄
Our best estimate for the
最佳估测是137亿3千万年
age of the universe is 13.73
billion years
而太阳已经存在50亿年了
and the sun has
been around for five billion years of that.
超过了宇宙自身年龄的三分之一
That's more than a third
the age of the universe itself.
是什么样的力量源泉可以让太阳日复一日
So what possible power
source could allow the sun to shine
以如此高的光照强度照耀了50亿年
with such intensity day
after day for five billion years?
找到答案的最好办法
The best way to find the answer
就是回归一切的起源
is to go back to the very beginning.
一切皆源自虚无
And it all began from, well,
pretty much nothing.
银河系这一隅
There was a
time when this corner of the galaxy
也曾无光
was without light.
太阳当时尚未诞生
The sun
had yet to begin.
太阳的诞生过程
The story of how
our star was born
可以在夜空中读出
can be read in
the night sky.
如果为银河拍照的话
If you
take a picture of the Milky Way,
我们首先会注意到的
then one of the first things you notice
是这些暗线
are these dark lines,
暗云从中穿过
these dark clouds running through it,
看不到恒星
an absence of stars and,
其实这些暗区称为分子云
in fact, those dark areas are
called molecular clouds.
它们是由氢分子及尘埃构成的云团
They're clouds of molecular hydrogen and dust
处于我们与
that are lying in between us
银河系诸恒星之间
and the stars of the Milky Way
galaxy.
这些暗云包含有
These dark clouds contain
构成恒星的初始物质
the raw material from which
stars are made -
暗云是浩瀚的恒星孕育所
vast stellar
nurseries
存在于银河系
that are amongst the
coldest
最冰冷最孤寂的角落
and most isolated places
in the galaxy.
在某些分子云的中心区域
In the centre
of some of those clouds,
温度可以低至
the
temperature is as low as
开氏10度[约-263℃]
ten
degrees above absolute zero.
其重要性在于
Now
that matters because
粒子运动的速度取决于其温度
temperature is a measure of how fast things
are moving.
因此在这些云团中
So, in these clouds,
the clumps of hydrogen
氢分子团及尘埃运动及其缓慢
and
dust are moving very slowly.
也仅有在这种极端冰冷的环境下
Only in this extreme cold
重力才可以左右云团内部的组成粒子
can gravity grab hold of the clouds'
constituent particles.
他们随着漫漫时间长河的流逝开始沉积
Over millennia, they begin to condense.
微弱的重力得到掌控权
That means that the weak force
of gravity can take over
逐渐将氢元素聚集
and
begin to clump the hydrogen together.
这样
氢分子团在其自身重力塌缩下
Now, we have a name for clumps
of hydrogen
孕育出我们所称的恒星
collapsing under
their own gravity - stars.
随着分子云在重力影响下
So,
as those clouds of hydrogen collapse further and
further
塌缩程度不断加剧
under the force of
gravity,
它们便开始发热 从而最终
they begin to heat
up and eventually, in their cores,
在其核心达到足够的温度
they become hot enough for the hydrogen
开始热核反应进而形成氦
to begin to fuse together into
helium.
恒星终于诞生了 暗云也开始发光
The stars ignite,
the clouds are no longer black
一个新的恒星生命周期宣告开始
and the lifecycle of a new star has begun.
画面中这一过程展现的是
This very story played out
five billion years ago
50亿年前一颗恒星的诞生过程
when
a star was born
而它就是我们的太阳
that would come
to be known as the sun.
太阳的诞生揭示出
And its
birth reveals the secret of our star's
其蕴含巨大能量的奥秘
extraordinary resources of
energy,
因为太阳与宇宙所有恒星一样
because the sun,
like every other star,
都是由宇宙中
was set
alight by
最强大的已知力量所点燃
the most powerful
known force in the universe.
氢聚变为氦
The
fusion of hydrogen into helium
是太阳一切能量的源泉
is the foundation of all the sun's
power.
无尽的能量向外传播开
Boundless energy that
reaches out
使得太阳的神奇力量赐予它域内的每个星球
and
connects this wonder to all of the worlds in its
realm.
这是巴拉那河的支流伊瓜苏河[位于南美洲]
This is the
Iguazu River which flows into the Parana,
世界上最伟大的河流之一
one of the great rivers of the
world,
正是这些河流
and it's these river systems
that drain all the rainfall
将南亚马逊流域的降水
from the southern Amazonian basin
最终带向大西洋
eventually into the Atlantic.
那么这些水量有多少呢
Just look how much water there is.
这条河的每个水分子
Every molecule in this river,
加上这里每一片云每个雨滴的每个水分子
every molecule in every
raindrop in every cloud,
都是从太平洋翻越安第斯山脉而来
has been transported from the Pacific over the
Andes
然后进入这个内陆区域的
and into the continental
interior here.
想想这个得需要多少的能量吧
Just imagine
how much energy that needs.
这些能量中每一焦耳都来自于太阳
And all that energy - every bit of it, comes
from the sun.
这颗蓝色星球上的所有水分
The sun is the
power that lifts
都是靠太阳的力量蒸发上天的
all the
water on the blue planet.
在某些地区它们重归大地
And
in places, it comes down again
从而造就了地球上一些叹为观止的美景
to create some of the
most breath-taking sights on Earth.
这里是伊瓜苏瀑布
This is Iguazu Falls.
每秒钟有
A quarter
of a million gallons of water
25万加仑的水[约950吨]倾泻而下
flow through here every
second.
瀑布需要的惊人能量
The spectacular
energy of the falls
充分证明了地球与太阳之间
is a
wonderful example of how this planet is hard-wired
源源不断的能量关系是多么紧密
to the constant and
unfailing power of the sun.
尽管看起来太阳提供的能量是完全恒定的
The energy we see from the sun may seem
utterly constant,
但是利用专业知识加上一部数码相机
but
tiny fluctuations in its brightness can be seen
我们还是可以看出太阳亮度的细微变化
with a digital camera
and the right know-how.
如今拍摄太阳并非难事
Now,
it's not too difficult to take a picture of the
sun
即便处于9300万英里[1.5亿公里]之外
even though it's
93 million miles away
因为太阳很大嘛 当然也得倍加小心
because it's big. Of course, you've got to be
careful.
我们在这里设置了一个滤镜
We've got a filter
on here
它可以吸收绝大多数的光线
that takes out pretty
much all of the light
由于通过相机或者肉眼直接观测
because focusing the light from a nuclear
reactor
核聚变放出的光线对视网膜有害
onto your camera or
your retina
因此需要格外注意
wouldn't be a great
idea, so you've got to be careful.
我来拍一张
I'll take a picture.
这就是我们拍下的太阳的照片
Well, this is our picture of the sun
摄于2009年6月20日
that we took on June 20th,
2009.
看起来相当漂亮
You can see it's a
beautiful...
简直是毫无瑕疵的一轮圆日
..Orb, with not
a mark on the surface.
恐怕和大家想象的毫无二致
I
suppose that's pretty much what most people would
expect.
这想必也就是
It's certainly what
亚里士多德和其他古代天文学家眼中的太阳
Aristotle and the
ancient astronomers expected
因为他们都认为
because they thought
苍天是完美和永恒的
the heavens were perfect and unchanging.
但是再看摄于2001年3月29日的这张
But, look at this
picture taken on March 29th, 2001.
差别竟如此之大
You see a completely different story.
其表面被暗色斑点所覆盖 即太阳黑子
The surface of the sun
is covered in black spots-sun spots.
有些太阳黑子的大小
Some of these vast structures
甚至可以吞噬整个地球
are large enough to engulf the entire Earth.
通过宇宙观测我们可以跟踪黑子的数量
Space observation has
allowed us to track their numbers
这些黑子会在太阳表面消退和移动
as they ebb and flow
across the face of the sun.
太阳黑子数量越多
The
greater the number of sunspots,
太阳的能量就越高
the more powerful our star becomes,
这可以影响到宇航员
threatening everything from
astronauts
乃至地球上的供电网络等等
to the electricity
grids back on Earth.
我们还发现太阳也分季节
We've
discovered that the sun has seasons.
几十年来科学家一直设法了解
For decades, scientists have
sought to understand
这些太阳能量的微妙变化
how these
subtle changes in the sun's power
究竟是如何影响地球生活的
might be affecting the earth.
在这一谜题的引领下
某位科学家的视角
It's a puzzle that led one man to
look away from the sun
从太阳转向了伊瓜苏瀑布附近的河流
and focus instead on the rivers around the
Iguazu Falls.
他就是阿根廷天体物理学家巴勃罗·马沃斯
Argentinean astrophysicist, Pablo Mauas.
这是条很大的河
It's a very large river.
世界排名第四
It's the fourth river in the world.
但并不像那些比巴拉那河大的河流
Unlike other larger
rivers than the Parana,
例如亚马逊河或者刚果河
for
example, the Amazon or Congo,
我们拥有这条河流整个20世纪的水文数据
we have data of this
river for the whole 20th century.
所以你们可以追溯到1900年或者...
So you can look back
to what, about 1900 or...?
对 从1900年1904年开始的数据
Yes, from 1900, 1904.
因为大型轮船
And this
is because this is a river
可以在这条河通航
that
can be navigated by very large ships.
利用物理统计工具
Pablo brought the statistical tools of a
physicist to bear
巴勃罗整理了100年的珍贵水文数据
on 100
years worth of precious river records.
结果显示河流同样具有一定规律性
What emerged was that the
river, too, had a rhythm.
我们发现河流的流量呈起伏状波动
We found that the stream flow of the river
goes up and down
在100年中共起伏波动过三次
and up
again and down again three times during the
century.
我们希望进一步分析其原因
And then we went
further, trying to understand why.
巴拉那河的水量
The amount of water in the Parana River
似乎遵循一定的模式
seems to be following a pattern.
问题在于
The question is,
究竟什么力量能够改变这些巨大河流系统
what could be driving
the change in these vast river systems?
巴勃罗首先尝试了太阳黑子的11年周期
Pablo first looked to
the 11-year sunspot cycle,
但并未匹配
but found
no fit.
因此他又将目光转向
So instead, he turned to
calculations
上世纪太阳的光球层
that described the
sun's underlying brightness
亮度数据
during
the last century.
他向我展示了
He showed
me what happened
将太阳数据叠加于
when you
superimpose this solar data
河流水位上之后的情况
on
the water levels in the river.
你会看到太阳能量提高时
河流水位也上涨
You see that when the sun goes up, the
river goes up.
这说明在1925年左右
So what this is
saying is, around 1925 or so,
太阳活动更加频繁
there was more solar activity,
因此抵达地球的太阳辐射也更强
so the amount of, really,
the solar radiation falling on the earth.
没错
在这里显示的三个阶段
Right, there was relatively more
activity, solar activity,
具有相对更突出的太阳活动
in
these three periods we can see here.
我指的是在这些河流的水量
I mean, it's a beautiful
correlation between the water flow,
与太阳辐射强度之间存在着高度相关性
the flow in these rivers
and the solar output.
是的 我们发现确实高度相关
Yes,
it is. We find it's a very striking correlation.
太阳数据似乎也会撼动
Changes in the sun seem to move
其他地区的气候系统
weather systems elsewhere, too.
在印度 雨季似乎遵循着
In India, the monsoon appears
to follow
与巴拉那河类似的模式
a similar pattern to
the Parana river,
而撒哈拉的情况与这里恰恰相反
whereas
in the Sahara, the opposite seems to occur.
太阳活动愈剧烈 降水量愈低
More solar activity, less
rain.
不过太阳对于地球影响的
The exact mechanisms by
which our star
精确机制 目前仍旧是个谜
may affect
Earth's weather remain, for now, a mystery.
我们知道太阳的能量生成速度
We know that the energy
production rate of the sun,
及其核心聚变反应释放出的能量
the power released in the fusion reactions at
the core,
其实是非常稳定的
is very constant
indeed.
就我们的认识来说这是恒定不变的
It doesn't change
as far as we can tell,
因此我们所观察到的改变
and so
the changes that we see
势必与能量从太阳向外扩散的方式有关
must be to do with the way the energy gets out
of the sun.
此外 抵达地球表面的太阳辐射
And, whilst
it's only at the tenths of a percent level
仅占其全部辐射量的零点几个百分点
in the amount of
radiation that falls onto the surface of the
earth,
但这的确显示出
it really does reveal the
intimacy and delicacy
两者间存在紧密精细的关系
of the
connection between the sun and the earth.
这种关系是
And this connection
造就太阳另一奇迹的法宝
is the secret to another of the sun's wonders.
在宇宙诸多恒星中
Of all the stars in the universe,
我们仅知道一颗恒星创造了奇迹
we know of only one where a
phenomenon has arisen
利用其光照孕育生命
which
feeds on starlight.
这些叶子都是其妙的机器
These
leaves are wonderful machines,
大自然籍此来享用太阳的能量
nature's way of harnessing the power of the
sun.
不过叶子都有点挑嘴
But they're fussy eaters.
它们进化地只去选择部分的日光
They've evolved to use just
a fraction of the sunlight
只对能够穿透地球大气的日光有胃口
that makes its way through Earth's atmosphere.
我们在地面看到的日光呈白色
Here on the surface,
sunlight may appear white.
但当它们穿过棱镜时
But
when you pass it through a prism,
您将看到它们由五彩斑斓的颜色构成
you see it's made up of
all the colours of the rainbow.
棱镜可以将日光分解为它们的组成色彩
The prism splits
sunlight into its component colours,
展现出红绿蓝的颜色
revealing the red, green and blue
photons.
区分日光的不仅仅是其颜色
And it's not just
their colour that distinguishes them.
红光携带的能量不多
The red photons don't carry much
energy,
但红光的量很大
there are lots of them,
相反蓝光的量较少
whereas the blue photons,
although there are fewer,
但可以携带很多能量
carry
a lot of energy.
植物会吸收一些红色的光谱
And plants
use the red bit of the spectrum,
还有部分蓝色的光谱
and they use the blue bit of the spectrum,
但它们不太吸收绿色的光
but they don't use as much of
the green.
绿光被其反射 因此在阳光明媚的时候
That's
reflected and so that's why,
当您远眺这样一片森林时
when you look around a forest like this on a
sunny day,
眼前会呈现出浩瀚的绿色海洋
you just see a
sea of green.
因此 森林的奇妙颜色
So the wonderful
colour of the forest
完全在于植物本身
is all down
to how plants
如何去适应日光的特性
have adapted to
the quality of our star's light.
也正是植物能够捕获日光这一
And it's this ability to harvest sunlight
处在复杂食物链最底层的特性
which lies at the base of
the complex food chain
滋养孕育着地球上几乎所有的生命
which nourishes, well, pretty much all life on
Earth.
阳光维系着一切生命
Each and every one of us
is sustained by the sun's light,
它像一条脐带
an
umbilical cord of sunshine
在太空中连绵延续了1.5亿公里
that stretches across 150 million kilometres
of space.
但除可见光之外
But beyond the visible
power of the sun
太阳的能量还存有另外一个领域
lies another realm.
正是通过这些不可见的力量
These are the unseen forces
太阳统治着它的领地
by which it maintains influence over its
domain.
偶尔 太阳系的自我转动使得
And, very
occasionally, the solar system arranges itself
我们可以亲眼一睹
so that we can glimpse this
invisible kingdom
这个不可见的国度
with our own
eyes.
现在是5点28分 它们刚刚碰到
It's 5:28, so
that's time of first contact
现在还看不到太阳的圆盘
and you can't see the disc of the sun at the
moment,
被低云遮住了
it's obscured by low cloud.
这会儿月球的边缘
The edge of the moon is, at this
point,
刚刚开始接触到太阳的圆盘
just beginning to
touch the disc of the sun.
太阳能从云层中显现出来 看它的圆盘
You can see the sun emerging through the
clouds, see the disc.
能看见月亮了
Oh, and you
can see the moon.
能看见上方的月亮吗
Can you see
the moon on the top?
没错
Oh, yeah!
它就这样消失了
It just vanished.
看见月亮的边缘了吗
Can you see the rim of the moon there?
真美妙
Absolutely fantastic.
看见太阳了
Yeah? See
the sun?
能够看出天体力学的模样
You can see the
celestial mechanics,
就像太阳系的发条在工作
the
clockwork of the solar system at work.
此乃完美的校准
The alignment is absolutely perfect.
快看啊
Look at that!
如果你不相信我们是活在太阳系里
If you EVER needed convincing that we live in
a solar system,
不相信我们是在一个石球上
that we are
on a ball of rock orbiting
和其他石球一起围着太阳转
around the sun with other balls of rock,
就看它好了
then look at that.
它就是太阳系
That's the solar system
给你的铁证
coming
down and grabbing you by the throat.
太阳现在已经完全被月球覆盖
The sun's face is now
completely shrouded by the moon.
只有现在日全食的时候
Only now, during totality,
太阳隐藏的奇迹才显露出来
is the hidden wonder of the sun revealed.
看 那是太阳的大气层 不是云
Look, I mean, that's the
sun's atmosphere, that's not clouds.
现在没有云了
There are no clouds there now.
这就是日冕
That's the solar corona.
我们恒星的大气层在放光
That's the atmosphere of our star shining out.
太阳的大气层有些奇特
The sun's atmosphere is
strange.
由少数带电粒子
It's made up of a thin
collection
质子和电子组成
of charged particles,
protons and electrons.
我们还没能完全了解其中机理
Through mechanisms that we don't yet fully
understand,
据目前所知日冕比日表热很多
the corona is
much hotter than the surface.
这里
温度飙升至摄氏100多万度
Here, temperatures soar to over
a million degrees Celsius,
大约比表面热200倍
some
200 times hotter than the visible surface.
每一天
气层的最外端
Each and every day, right at the very
top of the atmosphere,
一些最活跃的粒子向外逸散
some of the most energetic coronal
particles are escaping.
太阳大气最外层的日冕每小时向太空抛射
The sun leaks nearly seven billion tons
近70亿吨物质粒子流
of corona every hour into
space,
数量庞大的 极热的
a vast, superheated,
以超音速运动的粉碎原子
supersonic collection of
smashed atoms
被集体称为太阳风
that en masse are
known as the solar wind.
这是一个史诗般旅程的开始
This
is the beginning of an epic journey
它将太阳喘息一直延续到
that will see the sun's breath
reach out
太阳系的最远端
to the furthest parts of
the solar system.
看哪
Look at that!
很快
All too soon, this brief
太阳风源头现身的简短瞬间结束
glimpse of the solar wind's origin is gone.
我见过的最不可思议的景观
It's the most incredible
thing I've ever seen, actually.
太阳从月亮后面重新显现的时候真是美极了
Amazing when, when the
sun re-emerged from behind the moon.
大家都像这样
Everybody just...like that...
振臂高呼 哇
Goes... Wow!
虽然我们无法见到太阳风
The solar
wind may be invisible to us,
但是每天
but each
day,
地球都会有微小的部分被吹走
tiny pieces of our star
are constantly blowing our way.
当太阳风到达地球时
Now, by the time the solar wind reaches the
Earth,
已经比较弱了
it's pretty dilute.
如果你在太空中靠近地球的位置
You know if you were to go
out into space close to the Earth
伸出手来
不会有任何感觉
and hold your hand up there,
you wouldn't feel anything.
每5个质子和5个电子
In
fact there are about five protons and five
electrons
只占据一个糖块大的空间
for every sugar
cube's worth bit of space,
但他们运动得极快
but
still they're travelling very fast
并携有大量能量
and they carry a lot of energy,
一定长时间里其能量足够
enough energy in fact over
time
将地球的大气吹进外太空
to blow the earth's
atmosphere off into space.
地球上的生命如何逃过这个致命狂风的呢
So how does life on our planet survive this
lethal gale?
为了寻找答案 我要向北进发
To find the
answer, I need to head north.
在北极 一个明媚的冬日里
On a beautiful sunny winter's day in the
Arctic,
很难想像太阳会威胁到我们
it's hard to imagine
that our star could be a threat.
不过在我们之上很高的地方
致命的太阳粒子
But high above us, deadly solar
particles are streaming
以最高时速100万公里的速度奔腾而来
our way at speeds topping a million kilometres
an hour.
而这里 地球表面上
Down here on the
Earth's surface,
有地球的天然防护盾
we're protected
from that intense solar wind
保护着我们
that's
battering our planet because the Earth has a
natural
它使绝大部分强劲的太阳风转向
shield that
deflects most of the solar wind around it.
要看这个防护盾
And to see that shield,
你只需要一个罗盘
you just need a simple shield
detector which is a compass.
因为地球的力场就是磁场
And that's because the earth's force field is
magnetic,
像保护茧一样
an invisible shell that
围绕地球的隐形外壳
surrounds the planet in a
protective cocoon.
它的形状非常类似于
It's
very similar to the shape
这个磁条的磁场
of the
field around the bar magnets
绕着磁条转动罗盘就能看出它的形状
and you can see that shape by moving a compass
around it.
罗盘指针会顺着磁力线走
The compass needle
follows the magnetic field lines,
地球磁场的形状
and the Earth field is actually
和这个很相似
very similar in shape to this one.
磁场由地球转动的
The magnetic field emanates
富含铁的内核放射出来
from deep within our planet's
spinning iron-rich core.
形成巨大的力场
And it's
this gigantic force field,
被叫做磁气圈
known as
the magnetosphere,
也就是它使得大部分致命的太阳风
that
deflects most of the lethal solar wind
弱化转向至外太空
harmlessly away into space.
但是地球并非全然逃脱
But the planet doesn't escape
completely.
太阳风撞击地球磁场时
When the solar wind
hits
会使磁场变形
the Earth's magnetic field, it
distorts it.
它将其拉伸至地球背面
It stretches the
field out on the night side of the planet
有些类似于拉一根皮筋
and in some ways it's like
stretching a piece of elastic.
越来越多的能量进入磁场
More and more energy goes into the field.
经过一段时间 能量聚集并拉伸尾部
Over time, this energy
builds up stretching the tail,
直到磁场无法承受所有能量
until it can no longer hold onto it all.
最终 能量会以
Eventually, the energy is
released,
带电粒子流的形式沿着磁力线向下
accelerating a
stream of electrically charged particles
被加速释放到两极
down the field lines
towards the poles.
当这些被太阳风
And when these
particles
注入能量的粒子
that have been energised
by the solar wind
进入到地球大气层
hit the Earth's
atmosphere,
它们就会产生自然界最美的景观之一
they create
one of the most beautiful sights in nature -
北极光
the aurora borealis, or Northern
Lights.
我来到挪威的北端
I've come to the far
north of Norway
希望能够亲眼见到
in hope of seeing
the solar
太阳风对地球的影响
wind's influence on
our planet for myself,
第一次目睹神秘的北极光
to see
the mystical aurora for the first time.
极光并非每晚都能见到
Seeing the aurora on any given
night is far from certain.
为了提高命中率
So to
shorten the odds,
我请了一名天体物理学家
I've
recruited the help of an astrophysicist,
麦克·洛克伍德教授
Professor Mike Lockwood.
麦克
我不是抱怨
So Mike, not that I'm complaining,
除了好玩之外
but other than for reasons of pure
enjoyment,
我们为什么要开雪地车进北极圈
why did we have
to come to the Arctic Circle on snowmobiles?
我们得离开城市
We need to get out of the city
because
因为城市里有光污染
the city street lights
produce a light pollution
它会阻碍极光的观测
that
actually make it hard to see the aurora
我们在冬天快结束时来很合适
and it's good we've come at
the end of winter
因为这时候地球磁场甩开太阳风所花的能量更强
because the energy we take out the solar wind
is stronger.
对 所以我想现在是最佳时节
Yes,
so this is, I suppose then, the perfect day
在三月底 天空湛蓝
because we're in late March,
completely blue sky.
太好了 如果情况不变 我们有80%的希望
Fabulous. If this stays, we've got 80% chance
tonight.
黄昏后 尽管天很晴朗
Soon after dusk, and
despite clear skies,
但还没有极光出现的征兆
there's
no early performance from the aurora.
我们等待的时候
So while we wait,
麦克播放了一段
Mike runs a
film loop of the Northern Lights
从太空中看极光的影片
as seen from an extraterrestrial perspective.
真是美妙的景象
So that's a beautiful image.
我从来没见过那样的图景
I haven't seen an image like
that before.
是从北极上空照的吗
It was taken from
above the pole?
对 是一个绕地球运行的飞船照的
Yeah,
that's a spacecraft in orbit around the planet,
是的 从极点到极点
yes, going from pole to pole.
从太空中 能清楚看出太阳风对大气的作用
From space, you can
really see the impact of the solar wind.
它的能量在北极
Its energy feeds an unbroken
维持着一个不断的极光环
circuit of aurora that
surrounds the pole.
今晚若能看见那感觉将会像是唯独给我们的展示
And we will feel that it's a display put on
just for us here.
光看从太空中拍下的这个景象
When you
see the pictures from space,
你知道在地球上人人都能目睹此景
you realise everybody on that oval is getting
the display.
我希望今晚我们特姆苏这里
Well, my hope is
that we'll be directly underneath
正好在这圈光带之下
that tiny thin band tonight here in Tromso.
幸运的是
Thankfully,
运气不错 天一直很晴朗
our luck holds and the skies remain
crystal clear,
终于
until at last,
太阳风带来的能量
energy brought by the solar wind
点亮了大气层上空
sets the upper atmosphere alight.
真是美不可言的景观
Absolutely amazing sight.
弧形的 但更像绿色的帘子
Arcs, but more like curtains
of green.
看起来不像层叠下来
It doesn't look to me
like it's cascading down.
而像是从地上升起来
It
looks like it's rising up from the ground.
它是极其美丽的
It is quite incredibly beautiful,
以前我想象当我见到它
and I thought before I'd seen
it that I would
会觉得它很美妙
think it was all
the more wonderful
因为我知道
because I knew
that I was seeing
它是地球磁场挡住太阳风来保护我们
a
visual manifestation of the earth's magnetic field
所形成的奇景
protecting us from the solar wind,
但我现在不这么想
but I don't think that.
那边
Actually over there,
矛柄状的绿光看起来像是从
there's a green shaft of light that looks like
it's rising up
远方的山峦中升起
out of the
mountain in the distance
像是灵气一样
and it
looks like spirits drifting up
从山里飘向天堂
from the mountain into heaven.
实在是太美妙了
Absolutely magnificent.
大气层边缘并非
Our
environment doesn't stop
我们生存环境的尽头
at the edge of our atmosphere.
实际上我们的环境至少远至太阳
In fact our environment
stretches at least as far as the sun
白天很容易做出这个结论
which is an obvious statement
to make in the daytime
因为能感觉到太阳的热量
because
you can feel the heat of the sun,
但到了晚上
就看到了另一面
but in the night time, you see this
other side.
能看到这个不可见的持续的太阳风
You see this
unseen and constant solar wind.
过了地球 太阳风
Beyond earth, the solar wind
继续呼啸至整个太阳系
continues to race out into the solar system
每当遇到一个有磁场的行星
and wherever it encounters a
planet
都会有极光出现
with a magnetosphere,
aurora spring up.
木星的磁场是
Jupiter's
magnetic field is the
太阳系中最强大的
largest and
most powerful in the solar system.
从哈勃太空望远镜可以看到
Seen from the Hubble space
telescope,
木星的两极是永远充斥着极光的
the aurora here
are a permanent fixture over the Jovian poles.
土星也一样 呈现着美不胜收的景象
Saturn, too, puts on an
impressive display
就如这个精彩的录像中所见一般
as seen
in this remarkable footage.
不过最终 远超过这些行星后
Eventually, though, way beyond the planets,
太阳风开始失去动力
the solar wind begins to run out
of steam.
它已经不停地走了160亿公里
It's travelled
non-stop for 16 billion kilometres,
这是地日距离的100多倍
over 100 times the distance
of the Earth from the sun.
令人难以置信的是
And
incredibly,
我们在宇宙中有一个探测器
we have a probe
out there
它即将破解
which is about to
discover
这些来自太阳的风究竟去了何方
exactly where the
wind from the sun ends.
在我五岁时
When I was
about five,
我收集了这本名叫太空竞赛的小册子
I collected
these cards, the Race Into Space.
里面以前苏联的人造卫星开头
It starts with Sputnik
讲述了人类探索宇宙的历史
and it's a history of space,
而就在结尾的地方写着对
and right at the end there's
the speculative stuff
建造月球基地的想法还有载人火星探测
about moon base and then a manned mission to
Mars,
将于1981年11月12日出发
on November 12th
1981, it was going to leave.
这里面写着美国国家航空航天局的
In there is the Grand Tour
太空大旅行计划
proposal by NASA to go
探测木星 土星 天王星 海王星
to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
而且这个计划真的完成了
and it actually went.
我记得1977年我非常激动
I remember in '77 being
excited
我看着电视里探测器发射的画面不停地想
and watching
the launch and thinking
我的小册子变成现实了 就这样成真了
this is, my card has come to pass, it's come
to be.
我觉得不可思议的是
And astonishingly, I
think,
现在我们仍然和它保持着联系
we're still in
contact with this thing now.
在那次太空旅行中发射了两艘航天器
A pair of spacecraft were sent out on the
Grand Tour,
旅行者一号和旅行者二号
Voyagers one and
two.
两艘航天器仍然在宇宙中正常运作
Both are alive and
well,
旅行者一号得到的信息被传输到这里
and Voyager one
reports back to earth here.
也就是我书里的这幅图
Now, also in my book was this picture,
位于莫哈韦沙漠的戈尔德斯通火星观测站
the Goldstone Mars
station in the Mojave desert.
就在那儿
And
there it is,
在这本书里它高210英尺[64米]
210 feet or
it was at the time this book was written.
之后人们扩建了这里
It's been expanded since
那是地球上少数几台
and it's one of the few
telescopes in the world
能和距离地球100亿英里的
that's capable of communicating with Voyager
旅行者号联系的望远镜之一
which is ten billion miles
from the Earth.
今天 戈尔德斯通观测站正竖着耳朵
Today,
the Goldstone station is listening out
听着来自旅行者一号的微弱低语
for the faintest whisper
from Voyager one.
呼叫233 哦 快到那儿了
Call
233, oh, it's almost there now,
我们应该能看到它过来
so we should be seeing it coming in.
旅行者号离地球太远以至于
Voyager is so far away that
it takes the signal
它发出的信号要以光速
around 15
hours to arrive,
传输15个小时才能到达地球
travelling
at the speed of light.
那个三角
Oh, that
triangle?
对 就是那个 它就在那儿
Yeah, that's it,
right there.
那儿
There.
看起来或许只是屏幕上的一个光点
It may appear as little more than a blip on a
screen
但对我来说 它太美了
but for me, it's
beautiful.
你只需要想想 这样一个小东西
I mean, you
just have to think about it, this little thing,
和双层巴士差不多大小
it's no bigger than a double-
decker bus,
制造于上个世纪60年代末
designed
in the late '60s,
发射于70年代中期
launched in
the mid-'70s
在32年之后仍然保持着运作
and still
functioning 32 years later,
那个小小的飞行器
and
good science data
仍然在传输给我们精确的科学数据
is still
coming out of that little space craft.
我觉得这简直太神奇了
I think it's absolutely
wonderful.
两艘旅行者号航天器
Both Voyager
spacecraft
都在持续地测量逐渐减弱的太阳风
are constantly
measuring the solar wind as it fades away.
在不远的将来 它们将旅行到一个地方
One day soon, they will
find the place
在那里太阳的最后一丝踪迹消逝
where the
sun's last physical trace finally runs out.
它们将会离开那颗养育了地球的恒星
They'll leave the star
that raised them behind
向着星际宇宙前行
and head
off into interstellar space.
不过即使到达了那里
But
even at that place,
100亿英里之外
ten billion
miles away where the solar wind
太阳风和星际风的交汇处
meets the interstellar wind,
这个故事仍然没有结束
that isn't the end of the story.
那里并不是太阳影响力的极限
That isn't the edge of the
sun's influence.
太阳有一种无形的终极力量
The sun has
a final invisible force
更深远地影响着宇宙
that
reaches out much further.
我们的恒星太阳 显然
Our star is, by far,
是太阳系里最大的奇迹
the
largest wonder in the solar system.
事实上
太阳占太阳系总质量的99%
In fact, it alone is 99% of the
solar system's mass.
正是这种巨大的质量
It's
this immensity
赋予了太阳它最深远的影响力
that gives
the sun its furthest reaching influence...
引力
Gravity.
太阳的重力场占统治地位
So its
gravitational field dominates
所有的行星被太阳的重力场束缚
and all the planets are bound gravitationally
to it.
比如地球 距离太阳9300万英里
The Earth for
example, 93 million miles away,
也被称为一天文单位
also known as one astronomical unit
我们用一个厘米来代表这个距离
so let's represent that by
one centimetre...
距离太阳最远的行星 海王星
And the
most distant planet, Neptune,
30天文单位所以我们用30厘米来代表
30 astronomical units
so 30 centimetres.
之后我们来看看柯伊伯带天体
We then
meet the Kuiper belt objects
冥王星 这颗前行星是其中一员
of which Pluto, the ex-planet, is a member.
柯伊伯带天体分布于
They inhabit a region
距离太阳50个天文单位的范围里
around 50 astronomical
units
所以从某方面来说这就是太阳系的范围
so that is the
size of the solar system in terms of...
包括了所有的行星
well, all the planets
和所有的柯伊伯带天体直到冥王星
and all the Kuiper belt
objects out to Pluto,
但不仅仅是这样
but it
doesn't stop there.
冥王星之外的宇宙
Beyond Pluto,
是极度稀薄的各种气体和尘埃的混合物
space is a cocktail of
extremely dilute gas and dust,
大部分是氢气和氦气
mostly just hydrogen and helium
是宇宙起源大爆炸的残留
left over from the universe's
beginning at the Big Bang.
不过时不时地
But every now and then,
你会在广阔的轨道中遇到一些薄冰
you encounter lumps of ice
in vast orbits
它们经历千年的时间环绕着太阳
that take
millennia to loop around the sun.
这种由冰球形成的星云被称为奥尔特云
And that cloud of
snowballs is called the Oort cloud.
令人惊讶的是
太阳的吸引力太强大了
And astonishingly, the sun's grip
is so strong
奥尔特云中的天体不断的弹跳
that objects in
the Oort cloud keep popping up
一直到这里
all
the way to out here.
即使在此 这个由肮脏冰球构成的星云
Now, that cloud of dirty snowballs,
仍然被太阳的重力场束缚
still gravitationally bound to
the sun,
受影响的距离扩展到5万天体单位
extends out
50,000 astronomical units.
在我们的比例尺中
On our
scale,
这个距离是500米
that's half a kilometre
from the sun
还记得吗
and remember,
地球和太阳的距离是一个厘米
the Earth was one centimetre
away.
到此 就是太阳帝国的全部势力范围了
This, then, is
the full extent of the sun's empire,
最微弱的引力吸引住冰球构成的星云
the lightest
gravitational touch which retains a cloud of ice,
以一个球面环绕着太阳
enclosing the sun in a colossal
sphere.
在奥尔特云之外 空无一物
Beyond the Oort
cloud, there is nothing.
只有阳光漏入那片无物之处
Only sunlight escapes,
即使是太阳最近的邻居
light that will take four years
光也要用四年的时间才能到达
before it reaches even the
sun's closest neighbour,
即半人马座α星C
比邻星
Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star
组成银河的
among the 200 billion others
两千亿红矮星中的一颗
that make up the Milky Way.
通过细致地观测
And it's by looking here,
这颗在我们本星系群中的邻居
deep into our local galactic
neighbourhood,
我们学习着如何解读这个讲述
that we're
learning to read the story
我们的恒星最终归宿的故事
of
our own star's ultimate fate.
太阳帝国如此的广阔 如此的古老
The sun's empire is so vast and so ancient
它的力量又如此的强大
and its power so immense,
甚至我们开始试图了解它的终结
it seems like an audacious
thought
了解太阳的死亡
to think that we could
even begin to comprehend its end
这些似乎都是胆大妄为的想法
the death of our sun.
但这些正是天文学家努力在做的事
But that's what astronomers are trying to do
许多天文学家来到了
and many of them come here to
the most
地球上最荒凉贫瘠的沙漠
arid and barren
desert on earth,
智力的阿塔卡马
the Atacama in
Chile,
因为这里的天空
and that's because the
skies here
是地球上最清澈的天空
are some of the
clearest on earth.
我的太阳帝国之旅接近尾声
It's the
end of my journey through the empire of the sun.
我来到了帕拉那尔
I've come to Paranal,
高高地位于死火山之上
high up on an extinct volcano.
这里有世界上最强大的望远镜阵
It's home to the world's
most powerful array of telescopes.
我得告诉你这个
写得太棒了
I've got to tell you this. This is
great.
从中可以获取很重要的信息
You get
important information
靠这些信息才能保证在帕拉那尔的安全
you should know for a safe stay on Paranal
因为它坐落于海拔2500米
because it's about 2,500
metres,
即2.5千米的高空中 这里写着
two and a half
kilometres in the air, and it says here
在这里如果有以下身体不适
that if during your stay you
experience
要马上咨询医护人员
any of the following,
consult a paramedic immediately...
包括了头痛还有头昏眼花
呼吸问题
So there's headache and dizziness,
breathing problems,
耳鸣或者耳聋 看到星星[眼冒金星]
ringing or blocking of the ears...SEEING
STARS.
这里真的写了
It honestly says
如果你在帕拉纳天文台看到了星星
If you see stars at the
Paranal Observatory,
请立即与医护人员联系
consult a
paramedic immediately!
栖于云端 四台巨大的仪器
Perched high above the clouds, four colossal
instruments
组成了欧洲南方天文台的
make up the
European Southern observatory's
甚大望远镜 简称为VLT
Very Large Telescope, or VLT.
即使用裸眼观看
这里的景象也相当壮丽
Even with the naked eye, the seeing
here is spectacular.
你首先注意到的
The first
thing you notice
那横跨星空的玉带是银河
streaking
across the sky is the Milky Way.
你看着它时 将不再怀疑
You can have no doubt when you look at that
我们生活在一个亿万颗恒星组成的银河系中
that we live in a
galaxy of billions of stars.
之后你会注意到
The
next thing you notice,
如果你再看得仔细一点
if you
look a little bit more carefully,
你会发现在漆黑的天幕上闪烁的星星
is the stars are not just
white points of light
并不止是白色的光点
against the blackness of the sky.
它们其实有颜色
They're actually coloured.
你会看到橙红色的星星
You see orangey-red stars,
黄色的和蓝白色的星星
yellow stars and bluey-white stars.
那是一种绝对的美
Absolutely beautiful.
天文学家们凝视着银河系
Astronomers have gazed upon
the galaxy
这个充满处于不同生命阶段的恒星的星系
full of
stars at all stages of their lives,
从年轻的
明亮的恒星
from youthful, bright stars
到和太阳非常相似的中年黄色恒星
to middle-aged yellow
stars very similar to the sun.
天文学家们一丝不苟地绘制了
They've meticulously charted
其中离我们最近的一万颗恒星的分布图
the nearest 10,000 of
them,
并根据恒星的颜色和光度进行了整理
and then arranged
each according to its colour and brightness.
由此诞生了天文学中
What emerges is one of the most
powerful and elegant tools
最为有用最为精炼的工具
in
the whole of astronomy,
赫罗图
the
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
天文学家们可以通过这张图
And so this diagram allows astronomers
来预测恒星的历史和演化
to predict the history and
evolution of stars,
尤其 是太阳的未来
and in
particular, the future life of our sun.
这里有一条真实的路径
There's real structure here.
这条线
There's this line that
从红色的恒星穿过黄色的恒星
goes up from red stars
through yellow stars
到白色的恒星 这条被称为主序列带
to
white stars, and this is called the main sequence.
太阳会在主序列带中
The sun will spend most
of its life
度过它生命中的大部分时间
in the main
sequence,
实际发生的是核聚变反应
稳定的燃烧着它大量的氢元素
steadily burning its vast reserves of hydrogen
fuel
这种燃烧还将持续至少50亿年
which will last for at
least another five billion years.
但最终氢元素将被燃尽内核发生塌缩
But eventually the fuel
will run out and its core will collapse.
之后将会发生一些不寻常的事
Then something remarkable
will happen.
太阳的外层将膨胀 颜色会发生改变
The sun's
outer layers will expand and its colour will
shift.
水星将成为回忆
Mercury will be little more
than a memory
因它将被不断膨胀的红日吞没
as it's
engulfed by the expanding red sun.
太阳的体积将会是它现在的200倍
It will grow to 200 times
its size today,
一直延伸到地球的运行轨道
stretching
all the way out to the earth's orbit
我们的地球前途黯淡
where our own planet's prospects are dim.
这个似乎永恒存在着的奇迹
The wonder that has remained
so constant
这个已经存在了一百亿年的奇迹
throughout all
of its ten billion years of life
将会以红巨星的姿态结束它的生命
will end its days as a red
giant star.
恒星老年期为红巨星最后为白矮星
在几个瞬间里 太阳的亮度
For a few brief instants, it will be 2,000
times
将会是现在的两千倍
as bright as it is now
不过这种状态不会持续存在
but that won't last for long.
最终太阳失去其外层物质[对流包层]
Eventually it'll shed
its outer layers
只剩下它逐渐冷却的内核
and all that
will be left will be its cooling core,
那是一团暗淡的灰烬
a faint cinder that will glow,
发出微弱的光芒直到时间的尽头
well, pretty much to
the end of time.
它带来的奇迹
And all its
wonders,
那些穿透行星的大气层
the aurora that danced
through
跳着天舞的极光
the atmospheres of planets
of the solar system,
还有它那养育了地球上所有生命的阳光
and
its light that sustains all the life here on
earth,
都将不复存在
will be gone.
太阳燃尽的骨灰
那些气体和尘埃
But the gas and dust of the dying
sun
将在宇宙中沉睡
will drift off into space,
形成一片浩瀚的暗云
in time to form a vast dark
cloud
蕴藏着无限的可能
primed and full of
possibilities.
直到有一天 一颗新的恒星诞生了
Until one
day, another star will be born,
或许
它也讲述着和太阳相似的故事
perhaps, with a similar story to
tell,
一个关于宇宙的最伟大的故事
the greatest story of
the cosmos.
#When it's my moment in the
sun
Oh, how beautiful I'll be
but in a
normal sort of way
Like I am you and you are
me...