此字幕由“3D电视SRT字幕格式转换软件”转换 最初 宇宙是一片黑暗 In the beginning, there was darkness,
紧接着一声巨响 混沌初开 and then, bang, giving birth
时间 空间和物质 to an endless, expanding existence
开始不断膨胀 of time, space and matter.
每天 我们都在解密这神秘莫测 Every day, new discoveries are unlocking the mysterious,
令人疯狂的极端之地 the mind-blowing, the deadly secrets
宇宙 of a place we call the Universe.
这片广博寰宇 This cosmic world is unlike
不同于我们之前所见所学任何事物 anything you've ever seen or learned about.
银河系包含了宇宙中 Our galactic neighborhood
最壮美绚丽 is home to seven of the most mesmerizing, violent,
最超脱尘俗的七大奇观 and otherworldly phenomena in the universe.
有一座神奇星球 A stunning planet
其光环中的山脉 whose iconic rings contain mountain ranges
可媲美阿尔卑斯山 that rival the Alps,
一座闪闪的卫星上 a shimmering moon
间歇喷涌出大量水和冰 where massive geysers of water and ice spew from its surface.
我们先去看一个超大火山 Scale a mega volcano,
然后穿越小行星带 then zigzag through a family of Asteroids
去领略巨型旋风 before diving into the eye of a super-sized hurricane.
我们将见识太阳系中 Experience the newest, most mind-blowing discoveries
最新奇刺激的发现 revolving around our sun
体验其中的七大奇观 as we venture to the seven wonders of our Solar System.
本字幕由YYeTs人人影视翻译制作
翻译： 阿蘅阿蘅 QiWJ幽幽 陈易 Cath Angelica 小石头 校对&时间轴： 泡泡龙 后期&特效： 丢丢&鱼骨头 总监： 丢丢
字幕转换、时间轴调整：liwei
宇宙
太阳系七大奇观
如果你觉得已看遍 If you think science has already uncovered every dangerous,
太阳系中危险神秘的奇异现象 strange and extraordinary phenomenon under the sun,
那你大错特错 think again.
我们正处在 We are right now in the midst
宇宙探索大时代中 of the greatest era of space discovery,
许多光怪陆离 奇妙万千的现象 And many of the weird and wondrous things
就发生在我们身处的这个宇宙里 are happening right here in our own cosmic backyard.
太阳系真的是一个奇妙的地方 Our Solar System is a really fantastic place.
我们已经发现了许多其他行星系统 You know, we've now found other planetary systems,
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
但还未找到任何和太阳系相似的系统 and we've not yet found anything quite like our Solar System.
我们将开启一段神奇之旅 You've joined us on a magical journey
去探索太阳系 through the seven wonders
七大奇观 of our Solar System.
我们首先前往土星环 We first head for the Orbit of Saturn.
第七奇观 土卫二 Number seven, Enceladus.
2009年11月2日午夜 It's midnight, November 2, 2009.
NASA: 美国航天航空局
美国卡西尼号宇宙飞船 NASA's Cassini spacecraft
正沿土星轨道飞行 orbits the planet Saturn.
它拍摄到了土卫二 Its cameras capture something bizarre
表面的奇异现象 on one of its outer moons named Enceladus.
从地质学角度讲 Most of the Solar System's moons
太阳系中卫星都是死寂的 are geologically dead,
而土卫二南极表面虽被冰层覆盖 and looking at the glistening, icy surface of its south pole,
看起来宁静如常 Enceladus seems like a peaceful world.
突然毫无征兆地 Then suddenly, without warning,
从地表裂缝中 gargantuan geysers of water and ice
喷射出大量水和冰 eject from cracks on its surface.
土卫二是土星一个奇妙的卫星 Enceladus is a fantastic moon of Saturn.
虽然体积很小 Though it's relatively small,
但其火山活动与地球毫不相同 Enceladus is different from the volcanism that's here on Earth
地球上的火山从地下喷射出 where hot magma, which is basically molten rock,
熔融岩石形成的炽热岩浆 comes out from underneath Earth's surface.
土卫二喷射出的基本都是液态水 Enceladus has water, basically, liquid water
喷射出后即冻结成冰 coming out and freezing
因此也称之为冰火山 and so it's called Cryovolcanism.
卡西尼号宇宙飞船 The Cassini spacecraft flies directly
以1400英里时速穿过高达几百英里的 through the energetic plumes that blast hundreds of miles into space
喷射水柱 at 1,400 miles per hour.
土卫二着实吸引住了我们关注 Enceladus has really caught our imagination recently
虽然卫星南极间歇冰泉非常普遍 because we see geysers coming out of the south pole.
但在太阳系外围 我们还从未 We haven't seen anything like that
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
在任何冰化卫星上发现此现象 on any of the icy moons in the outer Solar System.
土卫二非常奇特 So something is going on in Enceladus,
我们想探究它如此活跃的原因 and it's active and we want to know why.
科学家计算得出土卫二南极 Scientists have counted at least 30 geyser jets
"老虎条纹"地质裂缝中 spouting from narrow geological fractures called Tiger Stripes
存在至少30处间歇冰泉 located along Enceladus' south polar region.
最新红外扫描地图显示 A new infrared map of the area
此区域地表温度极高 reveals warm surface temperatures.
从地底喷射出的水蒸汽 The heat emanating from the Tiger Stripes
使"老虎条纹"常年保持高温 may be due to the upwelling of water vapor that propels the jets.
有类似奇观的地方就是 One of the few other places to witness truly fascinating wonder,
地球 is on Earth.
在撒雪堆积的滑雪坡 At a freshly groomed ski slope
或是电影拍摄场地 or on a movie set.
看看这台造雪机器 Look at this snowmaking machine.
就像土卫二上的间歇冰泉 It's like a geyser from Enceladus.
喷出的冰粒和水珠 All these ice particles and water droplets
遇到外界空气后冻结成冰 freeze when they encounter that outside air,
膨胀的气体也会使水珠冷却 and the expanding gases also help cool the dropls
最后冻结成冰 and freeze them.
在土卫二上 In the case of Enceladus,
液态水在地底空间内加热 heated liquid water in a cauldron below the surface
随后从南极火山口喷涌而出 goes squirting out through some vents in the south polar region.
水喷射出来 And when that water comes out
进入外界低温环境 and encounters the cold surrounding space
就会冻结 形成雪花和冰粒 it freezes, forming snowflakes and ice particles,
就像这些造雪机造出来的雪一样 much like the ones coming out of this snowmaking machine.
所以我现在就像在土卫二上一样 So wow, I might as well be on Enceladus right now.
科学家认为土卫二上有2个内部热源 Scientists think there must be two internal heat sources
才会形成这种冰火山 driving this icy volcanism on Enceladus.
第一个热源是放射性元素 One source could be radioactive elements
其衰变后会加热内部温度 that decay and heat up the interior,
从而保持水的液体形态 thereby keeping the water in a liquid state.
第二个就是潮汐加热 The second could be tidal heating.
假设土卫二就像这个气球 Suppose Enceladus is like this squishy balloon.
土卫二以椭圆偏心轨道 Now Enceladus orbits Saturn in a slightly elliptical,
围绕土星运动 eccentric orbit.
有时离土星较近 So sometimes it's closer to Saturn,
有时离土星较远 sometimes it's farther away.
当距离较近时 When it's close to Saturn,
土星的引力 Saturn's gravitational pull
对土卫二形成潮汐引力作用 creates a greater tidal stretching of Enceladus
距离较远时就不会有这种现象 than when Enceladus is farther away.
潮汐引力作用 That leads to a rubbing
使卫星内部失去平衡 of the interior materials
因此释放出能量 and a release of energy.
这种潮汐力 This tidal friction, as it's called,
促使土卫二内部融化 helps melt the interior of Enceladus
从而使水保持液态或半液体形态 and keep the water in this molten or partly molten state.
另一个未解之谜 One mystery is,
就是土卫二地表下储存有多少水 how much water actually exists beneath the surface.
这个小型卫星下 Could the miniature moon
会不会隐藏着一个海洋 be hiding an underground ocean?
我们推断地下有一个液态海洋 We infer that there is a liquid ocean
因为间歇性冰泉必须要有水源 because there needs to be a source of water to power these geysers.
海洋可能没有遍布 The ocean may not extend
整个土卫二的内部 under the entire globe of Enceladus.
可能只存在于间歇冰泉所在的区域 It may be just beneath these regions where the geysers are going off,
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
但肯定的是 but there has to be
土卫二冰层下应存在 a significant reservoir of liquid water
一个重要的"地下水库" beneath the surface of Enceladus.
如果土卫二地表下真的存在液态水 If liquid water exists beneath the surface,
其中可能蕴含着大量有机分子 It could be teeming with organic molecules.
有机分子以及适宜温度 These, along with relatively warm temperatures,
都是创造生命的重要因素 are the essential ingredients for creating life.
如果能在土卫二地表下 It would be incredible
发现原始生命 if we were to find life, primitive life,
那将太不可思议了 underneath the surface of Enceladus.
我们并不指望出现类人生物 We don't expect complex creatures such as ourselves
或者兔子乌龟等高等生物 or rabbits or turtles,
但哪怕只是原始菌类或是微生物 but even primitive bacterial or microbial life,
此类能够在地球上独立存活的生命 independent of life on Earth
就算是有史以来最伟大的发现了 would be one of the greatest discoveries ever.
土卫二运行轨道 Enceladus actually orbits
其实就是太阳系又一大奇观 within another wonder of the Solar System.
第六奇观 土星环 Number six... The Rings of Saturn
土星环被发现后 The Rings named in alphabetical order
字母表顺序加以排序 as they were discovered,
它是宇宙中最绚丽的景象之一 are among the most dazzling sights in the sky.
旅行者号飞船对土星的第一次探测 The Voyager spacecraft first visited Saturn
已是很久前的事了 quite a while ago,
现在看到卡西尼号飞船提供的新影像 and now with the new images provided by Cassini.
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
像用3D眼镜看的一样真切 It's like putting on a pair of 3D glasses
我们首次细致详尽的看清 for the first time to be able to see with great detail
土星光环里到底有什么 what's inside Saturn's rings.
据估计 七条大光环中 Among the seven main rings,
有数千层小环环绕着这个气态行星 it's estimated that the gaseous planet has thousands of ringlets
其中包含有三十五万万亿吨的冰和尘埃 comprised of 35 trillion-trillion tons of ice and dust,
大约是地球水 containing roughly 26 million times
总重量二千六百万倍 the amount of water on Earth.
它们的起源 Yet their origin
也困扰了科学家们近几个世纪 has eluded scientists for centuries.
我们无从知晓这些光环起源 We really don't know their origin.
也许由于土星重力作用 They may consist of material
使它们无法相互撞击 that never had a chance to form into a moon
以形成卫星 because of gravitational influences of Saturn itself.
又或者它们就是卫星 Or maybe, they're a moon
由于太靠近土星而破裂 that wandered too close to Saturn and got broken up,
被土星的潮汐引力作用打的支离破碎 shattered by the tidal gravitational effects of Saturn.
甚至可能是一颗彗星 Or possibly even,
运动过于靠近土星 a comet came in too close to Saturn
受土星巨大潮汐引力作用 and got tidally disrupted
从而土崩瓦解 by Saturn's immense gravitational field.
更加引人注目的是 What's even more remarkable
科学家统计出 is that scientists have counted
土星环中还隐藏着62颗卫星 62 moons embedded in Saturn's rings.
最新影像资料表明这些卫星 New images indicate that these tiny satellites
使光环更加光彩照人 have taken the rings to new heights.
2009年8月11日 August 11, 2009.
一张罕见土星昼夜平分的照片中 A rare equinox photo of Saturn
土星光环 shows her rings
侧向反射了太阳光 "edge on" to the sun.
这幅照片揭开了一个惊人的事实 The image unveils a shocking fact:
曾一度被认为 The bright bands that
固态平整的光环 once appeared to be solid and flat,
土星F环中细小波段
事实上还包含着山脊 actually contain ridges,
从几英尺一直延伸向高耸的山脉 spanning from a few feet to mountain ranges
山脉
其高度比阿尔卑斯山还要高 taller than the Alps.
通过地球上的望远镜 When you look at Saturn's rings
观察土星环时 from a telescope on Earth,
它们看起来光滑而普通 they look completely smooth and featureless.
但现在所看到的那些区域 But now we see that there are regions
土星F环中细小波段
是由光环粒子堆砌而成 where the ring particles are piled up into,
你可以称之为"山" what you could call mountains,
山脉
高度可达数英里 which can be several miles high.
但这些高峰是怎么形成的呢 But how are these mile-high mountains formed?
美国卡西尼号太空船 NASA's Cassini mission
成功捕捉到环内卫星 actually captured images of embedded moons
在土星环中运行 sweeping through Saturn's rings
使得光环扭曲不平 causing them to twist and ripple
从而形成百变造型的影像 creating ever-changing patterns.
在土星A环 In Saturn's "A" Ring,
即土星最外层主光环中 the outermost of the large bright rings,
土卫三十五距离土星环垂直距离 the moon Daphnis has carved a vertical peak,
土卫三十五
土星A环
垂直顶点
超过两点五英里 which is over 2 1/2 miles high.
卫星在运行过程中 The moons are interacting with Saturn's rings, in such a way,
克利福德·约翰逊 南加州大学
与土星环之间的相互作用 as to either pull material
可以将物质排斥远离光环 slightly above the ring or below the ring
也可吸引入光环 as the moon goes round,
因为其运行轨道和光环自身轨道不太一致 because its orbit doesn't quite match that of the ring itself.
环绕着土星的光环 The ring system surrounding Saturn
堪称壮丽之景 is a spectacular sight.
但在临近星球上 But on a neighboring planet,
却又是另一番景象 there's a very different scene,
巨大的让人难以置信的景象 one almost too monstrous to believe.
这在我们七大奇观中 It's number five in our countdown
排名第五 of the seven amazing wonders,
这是个超级旋风圈 A raging storm,
它几乎可以圈下三个地球 that's nearly three times the size of Earth.
我们将继续 As we continue our countdown
探索太阳系七大奇观 of the seven wonders of our Solar System,
我们已经探索过了第七奇观 土二卫 We leave behind number seven, Enceladus
和第六奇观 土星环 and number six, The Rings of Saturn.
下面我们冲击 We now blast off
第五奇观 to number five,
木星大红斑 Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
这个超级风暴 This mother of all storms
足以圈下三个地球 is about three times the size of Earth.
我们还无法探知 We don't know exactly
大红斑是如何形成的 how the Red Spot formed.
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
自人类观测开始它就已经存在了 It's been there as long as we've been looking,
可以上溯至十七世纪五十年代 as far back as the 1650s.
所以说在我们对其探索研究之前 So it was there before we started
它就存在了 really paying attention.
大红斑 The Great Red Spot
事实上是种远古风暴 is actually an ancient storm
它已猛烈的旋转了几个世纪 that's been spinning wildly for centuries.
这个巨型的漩涡 The super-sized vortex
高耸于木星云层之上五英里处 towers five miles above the planet's cloud tops
但低于地球上任何风暴系统 and dwarfs any storm system on Earth.
据推测 木星大红斑内 The 400-mile-an-hour winds
风速达到了四百英里每小时 measured in Jupiter's Great Red Spot
比地球上最强劲龙卷风 are faster than some of the most powerful winds
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
的速度还要快 measured in tornadoes here on Earth.
然而地球上的龙卷风 Yet, tornadoes on Earth only last,
仅仅持续十几分钟 maybe a few tens of minutes
至多几个小时 or at most a couple of hours,
但是木星大红斑 whereas Jupiter's Great Red Spot's
已经猛烈的运动了至少四百年 been going strong for at least 400 years,
而且大小相当于三个地球那么大 and it's three times the size of Earth.
你一定不想困进去吧 Now that's one storm you don't want to get caught in.
地球南半球大多数热带风暴 Most tropical storms in Earth's southern hemisphere
是和地球一样顺时针旋转的 spin clockwise as our planet rotates.
但是木星大红斑的运行轨道 But on Jupiter, the Great Red Spot
却与众不同 follows an unearthly path.
木星大红斑 The Great Red Spot,
位于木星南半球 which is in Jupiter's southern hemisphere,
是逆时针旋转的 rotates counterclockwise.
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
这属于反气旋 It's anticyclonic,
这是因为木星上是高气压系统 and that's because it's a high pressure system,
不像地球上的 unlike the low pressure systems here on Earth,
常伴随有风暴的低气压 associated with storms.
因此高气压中的气流 So when you have a high-pressure system,
方向也就自然而然的 the airflow is naturally
与低气压系统的方向相反了 the opposite to that of a low-pressure system.
这个远古风暴团的起源 The origin of this long-lived storm
使天文学家们深表疑惑 has baffled astronomers.
但现在 这个风暴团的神秘面纱 But now, science may be on the verge
即将被揭开 of unraveling its stormy secrets.
哈勃太空望远镜 The Hubble space telescope
近日拍下了木星上三个 recently snapped images of three smaller storms
被称为白斑的小型风暴团的图像 on Jupiter called white spots.
白斑
三年后 Within three years,
这三个白斑相互融合 the three white spots merged
形成一个与地球大小相同的风暴团 to form one Earth-size storm.
然后 出乎所有人预料 Then, the unexpected happened.
仅过了一周 Over the course of only about a week,
风暴团就从白色转变成亮红色 the storm turned from white to bright red.
我们称之为椭圆二号 It's now known as Oval BA
有时也称为小红斑 or sometimes Red Junior.
小红斑
它为何会变红 Why it turned red
又是如何变红的 and exactly how that happened
现在还无从知晓 is still a mystery.
现在天文学家怀疑类似的合并 Astronomers now suspect a similar merger
可能就是大红斑的成因 may have also created the Great Red Spot.
这过程与小红斑相似 And like red junior,
猛烈的风暴团最初呈现白色 the ferocious storm may have originally been white.
但随着它的速度加快 But as its speed grew faster,
它开始把来自木星大气层深处的 i began dredging up material
一些物质吸收上来 from deep in Jupiter's atmosphere.
其中一种 One of the compounds
可能是硫的某种化合物 could actually be a form of sulfur.
我们还不完全清楚 We don't fully understand
格里·朗林 加州大学 圣克鲁斯分校
大红斑为何成砖红色 why the red spot has its characteristic Brick red color,
也许是其中的化合物 but probably there are chemical compounds
与阳光产生反应 which are reacting with the sunlight
从而形成了这种颜色 and are giving it this color.
天文学家一直在密切关注大红斑 Astronomers have been closely monitoring the Great Red Spot,
在最近十年里 and in the last decade
他们观测到一个惊人变化 they have detected an astonishing change.
我们观测到大红斑一直在萎缩 We've been watching the Great Red Spot shrink,
而且变得越来越园 and actually become rounder for some time now.
谁知道它会不会再存在四百年 Who knows if it's going to persist for another 400 years
或许会完全消失 Or maybe disappear entirely.
大红斑是太阳系中 The Great Red Spot is by far
迄今为止最大的风暴团 the biggest storm in our Solar System.
离开木星之后 But after leaving Jupiter,
我们向太阳的方向 we head about 200 million miles
继续前进两亿英里 in the direction of the sun,
与另一奇观 and have a close encounter
来一次亲密接触 with another barely believable wonder.
第四奇观 Number four,
小行星带 the Asteroid Belt.
科学家们希望了解更多 Scientists want to know more
关于这片小行星堆的起源 about the origin of this cosmic junkyard of wayward debris,
这些碎片在太阳系形成伊始就存在了 which is left over from the formation of the Solar System.
很长一段时间内 For a long time
我们都以为 we thought that, maybe, there had been
是某颗星球爆裂形成的 a planet there that got pulverized,
是某场大灾难的遗迹 qnd we were just seeing the debris of some major catastrophe.
我们现在逐渐意识到 But we pretty much now realize
在那片区域不可能存在行星 that a planet never was able to form there.
来自木星和其它星球的引力 The gravitational pull from Jupiter and the other planets
不可能让物质合成新行星 just made it impossible for material to coalesce into a planet.
在这片一亿英里宽的小行星带中 We traverse through 100 million miles of rocks,
有的小行星直径只有几英尺 some as small as several feet,
有的直径比城市还大 others bigger than cities.
这片区域可能含有数百万的小行星碎片 The belt probably contains millions of rocky pieces.
然而 如果所有的小行星 Yet, if all the asteroids
被压缩成一个整体的话 were condensed into one boulder,
可能比月球还小 it would be smaller than our Moon.
研究这些小行星 We can start to learn more about
有助于帮我们了解 the history of our Solar System
太阳系的起源 by studying the small bodies in our Solar System: the Asteroids.
我们希望了解它们是如何运行的 We'd like to know how they moved around,
如何受巨大行星影响 how were they affected by the giant planets,
还有它们最终命运会如何 and what is their ultimate fate?
会变成什么形态 What will happen to them?
陨石 Meteorite!
商业电影中小行星带被描绘成 Popular movies have portrayed the Asteroid Belt
宇宙陨石集中地 as a cosmic obstacle course,
在这里太空船需要闪避巨大陨石 a place where spaceships dodge enormous boulders
陨石在坠入大气撞击地球之前 that constantly collide and jostle for position
会不断互撞而争夺轨道 before hurtling down from space to destroy planet Earth.
但好莱坞电影描述的正确吗 But has Hollywood gotten it wrong?
小行星带有多么拥挤 How congested is the Asteroid Belt?
这是一位观众最想知道的宇宙秘密 That's what one viewer wanted to ask the universe.
密苏里州肯萨斯市的乔·T.向我们发来短信 So Joel T. From Kansas City, Missouri texted us...
电影是否准确反映出小行星带真实模样
感谢乔的提问 Thanks for the question, Joel.
我知道这有点震惊 I know this is a bit shocking,
但大多数商业电影 but the Asteroid Belt hasn't always been portrayed
对小行星带的描绘有严重偏差 terribly accurately in most blockbuster movies.
如果你在太阳系小行星带中 If you were orbiting an asteroid
随轨道运动 inside our Solar System's Asteroid Belt,
你无法察觉 You wouldn't be able to see
这些坑坑洼洼的巨型小行星 big cratered surfaces of other asteroids
向你飞来 flying right next to you.
事实上 它们看上去 In fact, they probably look
就像是星星点点的灯火 just like distant points of light.
因为小行星带中绝大多数小行星 That's because the average separations
相互之间平均距离 between most asteroids in the Asteroid Belt
远远超出它们的实际大小 are much larger than their actual sizes.
所以它们看起来非常渺小 So they'd really just look like dots.
宇宙秘密
事实上 两颗小行星之间平均距离 In fact, an average distance
大约一百万英里 between two asteroids can be one million miles.
然而在这些奇形怪状的陨石中 However, among this spacious sea of odd-shaped rocks,
也存在一个圆球形天体 exists a round ball.
谷神星是太阳系中最大的小行星 Ceres is the biggest asteroid in the Solar System.
这块直径六百英里的巨型陨石 The awesome 600-mile wide rock
占小行星带总质量的四分之一 contains a fourth of the entire mass of the Asteroid Belt.
小行星带中大多数小行星 Most asteroids in the Asteroid Belt
都成块状 are lumpy shaped,
有点像土豆 kind of like potatoes,
但谷神星不同 but Ceres is different.
事实上 它非常庞大 拥有足够质量 It's actually big enough to have enough mass,
与重力 to have enough gravity,
使其成圆形 to crush itself into a round shape.
鉴于它独特的圆形特征 Because of its spherical shape,
谷神星升级了 ceres was upgraded.
最近科学家们把它列为矮行星 Scientists recently listed it as a Dwarf Planet,
和冥王星的分级一样 the same designation given to Pluto.
现在人们的观点是 它的规模太小 The modern view of Ceres is that it's not big enough
还不足以称之为星球 to be called a genuine planet,
但其质量足够大 but it is big enough for it to have formed
以形成近球状外形 a roughly spherical shape,
但还不足以成为一颗真正的星球 but not big enough to be a true planet.
这个第四奇观 This fourth wonder
不仅是太阳系形成初始 not only holds unique artifacts
就遗留下来的独特产物 fFrom the formation of our Solar System,
更是潜在大规模杀伤性武器 it also harbors potential weapons of mass destruction.
许多小行星脱离了 Many asteroids have escaped
小行星带的束缚 the confine of the Asteroid Belt.
某个时候 And at any moment,
这些离群的太空陨石 one of these rogue space rocks
可能会导致悲剧重演 could repeat history,
没人能存活下来 and no one will live to talk about it.
目前为止 So far,
我们已经领略了太阳系 our journey through the seven wonders
七大奇观之中的 of the Solar System has taken us
土卫二间歇冰泉 to the geysers of Enceladus,
土星环 the Rings of Saturn
以及木星大红斑 and the Great Red Spot on Jupiter.
现在 我们继续探索太阳系第四大奇观 Now, we continue to travel through the fourth of our wonders,
小行星带 the Asteroid Belt.
这些远古遗物曾被搬上大银幕 This band of leftover debris has even made it to the big screen,
最令好莱坞着迷的 and the rocks Hollywood is obsessed with the most
是那些脱离小行星带 are those that escape the Asteroid Belt
撞击地球的天外陨石 and head for planet Earth.
近地天体是指 Near-Earth Objects or NEOs
几乎每天都光临地球的 are cosmic rocks like asteroids or comets,
外太空岩石 例如小行星或者彗星 which strike Earth almost every day.
我们确实对近地天体很感兴趣 We're really very interested in Near-Earth Objects,
关注那些穿过地球公转轨道的天体 objects that pass across the orbit of the Earth around the sun
因为它们撞击地球的几率非常大 because occasionally they can and do collide with the Earth,
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
如果足够大 则可能对地球造成大面积破坏 and if they're big enough they can cause vast destruction here on Earth.
2010年4月14日 On April 14, 2010,
有镜头捕捉到一直径三英尺的小行星 cameras caught sight of a 3-foot fiery asteroid
从美国中西部天空呼啸划过 streaming over the Midwestern United States.
幸运的是 在它撞到地面前 Fortunately, the cosmic rock broke into tiny pieces
就已碎裂成小块 before hitting the ground.
但在过去 But in the past,
美国 亚利桑那州
小行星撞击曾形成巨大陨坑 large asteroid impacts have created gigantic craters,
澳大利亚西部
加拿大 魁北克
甚至导致了大规模物种灭绝 and even triggered mass extinction events
比如导致恐龙灭绝的希克苏鲁伯小行星 like the Chicxulub asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs.
在过去的十多亿年中 Over the last billions of years,
地球被大小不一的小行星撞击过无数次 Earth has been hit many times by asteroids of various sizes.
大约6500万年前 The impact that occurred roughly 65 million years ago
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
一颗直径大约大约六英里的的小行星 that perhaps wiped out the dinosaurs
撞向了今日墨西哥的区域 was an example of something that was about six miles across
促使恐龙灭亡 that slammed into, what is now Mexico,
对全球造成了难以想象的影响 and caused huge global ramifications for the Earth.
目前 一系列最新太空研究 A number of new space surveys are currently tracking
正在追踪 all Near-Earth Objects
所有足以摧毁一座现代城市的近地天体 that are large enough to destroy a modern city,
其中一些甚至会导致全球性大灾难 or even worse, ignite a global catastrophe.
我们已经追踪了所有直径超过一英里 We know of most of the objects that are larger than a mile
而且运行轨道可能与地球相交的天体 that can intersect the Earth's orbit,
现在的目标是 and so the effort now is going in to
定位那些体育场大小的天体 finding these sort of stadium-sized objects,
虽然不足以毁灭地球 that while not completely devastating to the entire Earth,
但仍会对地球造成巨大影响 would be a huge deal if they hit the Earth.
我们将小行星带留在身后 As we leave behind the Asteroid Belt,
驶向七大奇迹的下一站 we chart a course to the next of our seven wonders,
第三奇观 number three...
火星奥林帕斯山 Olympus Mons.
太阳系中最大的火山 the largest volcano in the Solar System.
离火星越来越近 As we approach the planet mars,
这座硕大无朋的山体立刻吸引了我们的注意 we immediately catch sight of this mammoth mountain.
山体底部直径大约350英里 The base of it is about almost 350 miles across,
这段距离相当于 that's, as though, the base of the mountain
从洛杉矶到旧金山 were from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
所以虽然海拔很高 So even though it's so high,
但是坡度很平缓 the slope is very gradual.
你几乎无法察觉自己在爬山 You would barely know you were climbing a mountain.
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
它不是陡峭的火山 It's not like a steep volcano,
坡度很平缓 It's just... It's a smooth, low slope,
但是仿佛没有尽头 but it just goes on forever.
奥林帕斯山位于塔尔西斯高地 Olympus Mons is located in the Tharsis Bulge,
在那一地区还许多其他大型火山 a region on the red planet that's home to other massive volcanoes.
如果你爬上13英里高的山顶 If you climb the 13 miles to its summit,
你可以看到火星大气的边缘 you could take in a view of the very edge of the Martian atmosphere.
奥林帕斯山比地球最高峰高出许多倍 Olympus Mons is several times higher than the highest mountains on Earth,
而山体底部更是方圆几百英里 and its base is hundreds of miles across.
在过去的数十亿年间 And it's been formed over the last billions of years
经过一次又一次的火山喷发 by eruption after eruption after eruption,
由无数层的岩浆堆积而成 which has slowly surfaced it with successive layers of lava.
一亿年前 滚烫的岩浆从山顶喷涌而出 100 million years ago, hot lava rivers poured down from its peak
覆盖了几百万平方英里的火星地表 to cover millions of square miles of the red planet.
坐落于夏威夷岛的莫纳罗亚山 Today Olympus Mons is 100 times
是地球上最大的火山 the volume of Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa,
如今的奥林帕斯山体积是它的100倍 located on the big island of Hawaii.
奥林帕斯山比地球上的一切都大许多 Olympus Mons got so much larger than anything here,
原因有许多 for, well, a number of reasons.
有一点是肯定的 那里有很多的火山运动 One is certainly, there was just a lot of volcanic activity.
其二则是那里的重力小很多 A second is that mare's gravity is much lower.
你在火星上的体重会轻许多 You weigh a lot less on mars.
所以随着山体的增高 它不会塌方 So as the mountain built up, it didn't compact back down.
火山可以堆积得很高而不崩塌 It was able to build up to a pretty huge volcano without collapsing.
第三点 The third and perhaps most important reason
也许是其如此巨大最重要的原因 why Olympus Mons is so huge
火星上没有板块构造 is that mars doesn't have plate tectonics,
不像地球 the movement of crustal plates
熔融状地幔上方的地壳会发生运动 that rest on top of the molten interior of bodies, such as Earth.
奥林帕斯山体积可以增长到如此巨大 Olympus Mons grew to such a big size
因为火星上没有板块运动 because of the lack of tectonic motions on mars.
岩浆喷涌而出的地点 The hot spot from which the lava, the magma, emerged
始终不变 remained at one location,
这就可以堆积起越来越大山体 allowing more and more material to build up
形成一座超级火山 and create a super mountain, a super volcano.
火星现在被认为处于地质不活跃期 Mars is now presumed to be geologically inactive.
但是那火山猛兽是真的已死 But is the volcanic beast really dead
抑或仅仅还在休眠 or merely a sleeping giant?
欧洲航天局的火星快车号日前捕捉到了 The European Space Agency's Mars Express Mission recently captured
有史以来分辨率最高的岩浆流图象 the highest resolution images ever taken of the planet's lava flows.
有些可以追溯到一亿多年前 Some flows date back 115 million years,
但还有一些仅有200万年历史 but others are only 2 million years old,
以地质时间刻度来看那是很短的时间 and on geologic time scales that's very recent,
也就意味着现在也许还有火山喷发 which suggests there still may be some volcanic activity.
如果看看奥林帕斯山表面 If we look at the surface of Olympus Mons,
我们能看到有一些岩浆流之上 we see especially that there are lava flows,
几乎没有陨石坑 which have very few craters on them.
于是我们知道 这些岩浆流 And so, we know that those lava flows are
最老也不过一两千万年 perhaps 10s-20 million years old at the oldest.
但是喷发运动一直在继续 But the eruptive activity has been going on
如果不是一直延续到了今天 until the relatively recent past,
那也是不久之前才停止的 if not right up until the present day.
奥林帕斯山也许曾经产生过大量的岩浆 Olympus Mons may have once produced vast amounts of lava,
但那地狱烈焰般的热度 but its hellish heat paled in comparison
与我们太阳系七大奇观 to the current temperatures
榜上第二名相比 of number two on our countdown
则是小巫见大巫了 of the seven incredible wonders of our Solar System.
它远看像是个大火球 This may look like a ball of flames.
其表面是温度高达一万度 But its surface is an ocean
等离子海洋 Of 10,000-degree plasma
伴随着大风巨浪 with waves, winds
以及大规模喷发 and massive eruptions
堪比十亿吨TNT炸药同时爆炸 as explosive as a billion tons of TNT.
下一个将要探究的太阳系奇观 Our next wonder of the Solar System
既是地球的朋友 又是最大敌人 has been Earth's best friend and foe.
它用光和热笼罩着我们的星球 It's bathed our planet with heat and energy,
但其释放的致命高能粒子波 But it's also blasted us with potentially deadly
也会伤害到我们 highly energetic particles and waves.
我们继续探索第二奇观 We now navigate around number two:
极热的太阳表面 the sizzling surface of the sun.
太阳表面相当杂乱无序 The surface of the sun is really quite chaotic.
它持续沸腾 不断冒泡 It's always boiling and bubbling.
还从太阳内部 In particular, there are hot cells of gas
释放出热能气体 that come out from the interior up,
散发能量 逐渐冷却 radiate their energy, cool,
然后下沉回去 and then, come back down.
这种对流过程 So this convection, as it's called,
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
这种沸腾运动 This boiling motion, similar to
与水的沸腾非常相似 what you see in a boiling pot of water,
是在地表附近发生的 is occurring near the surface.
时至今日 We have never been able to
我们终于可以 look at the sun's surface
直视太阳表面 up close until now.
此部分字幕有误,以后补加。
克利福德·约翰逊 南加州大学
人造卫星最新采集行动
即拍摄我们守护之星的图像
这些稀有影像让人感觉 These unprecedented movies make you feel like
太阳光球层表面 you're an arm's distance away
已经触手可及 from touching the sun's visible surface called the Photosphere.
太阳风暴及其他剧烈活动 This is where solar storms
就发生在这一层 and other violent phenomena occur.
如果你能完好无损的到达太阳表面 The surface of the sun,
你会发现那里 if you were somehow able to go there and protect yourself,
非常嘈杂 异常炎热 活动的非常猛烈 is an incredibly noisy, hot and violent place.
表层温度高达数千度 There are temperatures thousands of degrees.
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
还有持续不断的磁暴 There are continuous magnetic storms
并伴随雷鸣般的声响 that create huge, basically thunder-like sounds.
在最新纪录影像中 In this new movie,
美国太阳动力学观测卫星 NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory
记录了一次日珥爆发 recorded a Prominence.
这是一簇相对低温的等离子 This is a relatively cool, dense cloud of plasma
受磁力影响 that sits suspended above the solar surface,
悬浮于太阳表面 supported by magnec forces.
如图所示 As seen here, Prominences
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
引起等离子大爆炸 And these throw up giant blasts of plasma
形成的日珥有着奇怪的弧度 That come out along curious looking arcs.
但这些日珥仍循 But these are actually following
太阳磁力线的轨迹 the magnetic field lines around the sun.
爆发出的日珥也会 Eruptive Prominences can occur in tandem
与另一个日珥相互串联 with another solar ejection.
而对地球的破坏力 That can deliver a double punch,
也将加倍 if directed at the Earth.
美国太阳和太阳风层探测器 NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
即SOHO or SOHO,
近日拍摄到一组 recently took dramatic movies
大规模日冕物质抛射 of Coronal Mass Ejections,
即CMEs or CMEs.
这些高温电离气体组成的气泡 These massive bubbles of hot ionized gas
含有高达一百亿吨的太阳物质 contain up to 10 billion tons of solar material.
它们以几百万英里的时速 They shoot out into space
喷向太空 at speeds of several million miles an hour.
日冕物质抛射属于超大型太阳风 Coronal Mass Ejections are incredibly powerful storms.
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
光是那巨大的能量 They can be as massive as a billion h-bombs,
就比得上十亿颗氢弹 just huge amounts of energy.
那些等离子射到地球时 And sometimes those big blobs of plasma strike the Earth
会形成美丽的北极光 and lead to beautiful northern lights, aurorae displays.
也会对地球造成相当大的损害 They can also be very harmful to the Earth.
当日冕物质抛射产物射向地球时 When large Coronal Mass Ejections are blasted toward Earth
会触发磁暴 they can trigger geomagnetic storms.
这些电离粒子 These blobs of ionized particles
会损害甚至摧毁卫星 can damage or even terminate satellites
更会破坏地球上的电网 as well as fry our electrical grids.
更有甚者 What's more,
进行太空行走时 They're extremely hazardous to astronauts
这些粒子会对宇航员造成极大的伤害 when outside of the protection of a spacecraft.
日冕物质抛射会释放X射线 The CMEs generate X-Rays.
因此进行太空行走时 So, if you're out in space,
如果遇到日冕物质抛射 you would get quite a dose of radiation,
会被严重辐射到 if you were in one of these CMEs.
幸运的是大气层吸收了绝大部分射线 Luckily, our atmosphere absorbs most of the X-Rays,
因此在地表 and we don't experience the bad effects here
不会受到影响 on the surface of the Earth.
这些最新拍摄的影像令人心生畏惧 These latest images are chilling reminders
提醒我们必须时刻关注太阳表面活动 that our sun's surface is a force to reckon with.
在不久的将来 And things may really heat up on our home star
太阳表面也许会持续升温 in the very near future.
太阳活动以十一年为一个周期 Solar activity runs through an 11-year cycle.
2013年将达到顶峰 In 2013, our sun will be at the peak of this cycle
因此也称为太阳峰年 called the Solar Maximum.
此时 At this time,
太阳表面会爆发超级风暴 the surface of the sun could create the perfect storm.
太阳曾经爆发过太阳风 The sun has had in the past big solar storms
破坏了地球上的电网 that have knocked out power grids
并中断通讯卫星 and our communication satellites.
将来也会爆发更多太阳风 There will be more storms.
在我们这一代 甚至接下来的几千年里 They might happen at any time or they may not happen,
随时都可能爆发 也可能再也不爆发 you know, in our lifetime or even in the next millennium.
我们只是不知道 We just don't know.
但太阳风暴无法破坏 But one thing a solar storm can't destroy
太阳系七大奇观中的 is number one on our countdown of the seven wonders
第一奇观 of our Solar System,
它是太阳系第五大行星 It's the fifth largest planet.
其十分之一的表面 One tenth of its surface
终年覆盖冰雪 is permanently covered with ice,
它的内部炽热无比 蕴藏着大量岩浆 And its hot interior has been churning up enough magma
地表的火山因而持续喷发数十亿年 to keep volcanoes erupting for billions of years.
太阳系七大奇观探索之旅 The exploration of our cosmic neighborhood
将以第一大奇观压轴 climaxes with a touchdown on number one of the seven wonders,
那就是地球 Earth
毫无疑问 The Earth, without a doubt,
地球是太阳系独一无二的伟大奇迹 is the single greatest wonder in the Solar System.
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
非常适合人类的生存 The Earth is so perfect for our existence.
有液态水 There's liquid water.
有大气层 There's an atmosphere.
有舒适的温度 There's comfortable temperatures.
这是个极好的星球 It's just a great place.
地球是距离太阳第三远的行星 Earth, the third planet from the sun,
其魅力令人窒息 is brimming with breathtaking beauty.
跟太阳系其他天体不同 Unlike any other body in the Solar System,
地球有将近2/3的表面被水覆盖 liquid water covers nearly 2/3 of its surface.
各大洲陆地景观各不相同 Its continents inherited a diverse landscape,
它拥有全宇宙 and it's the only planet confirmed
最独特的生态环境 to support life in all its amazing forms.
地球许多独有特征 Earth has a number of different features
使其在太阳系中变得独一无二 that make it truly unique in our Solar System.
比如说 For one thing,
地球既不会出现铄石流金的高温 it's not boiling hot
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
也不会出现冰天雪地的低温 and nor is it freezing cold.
地球与太阳的距离适中 It's just at the right distance from the sun
使地球温度适宜 有利于生命体的发展 to be a very moderate temperature that supports life.
再比如说 For another thing,
地球既不完全被水所覆盖 it's not completely a water world
也不完全被干燥的沙漠所覆盖 nor is it completely a dry desert either.
水陆配合相得益彰 It's got just the right mix of land and ocean
进而支持多种生物的发展 to support a wide variety of species.
科学通过研究 Science is now getting closer
地球的形成过程 to solving the mystery of how life got started
逐渐揭开了生命起源的神秘面纱 by retracing the steps of our planet's formation.
46亿年前 4.6 billion years ago,
太阳形成的过程中 In the swirling disk of debris
遗留了许多相互绕转的碎片 left over from the formation of our newborn sun,
气体和尘埃粒子 gas and dust particles
开始聚集在一起 began to clump together.
最终形成巨大的岩石和冰川 They eventually formed large boulders made of rock and ice
就如今天的小行星和彗星 that we see today as asteroids and comets.
几百万年前 For millions of years,
这些天体相撞 these bodies collided
然后又组合形成行星 and coalesced to form planets.
地球需要一些特殊物质 During this birthing process,
才能完成这样的形成过程 Earth acquired some special properties.
地球独有的特征 One unique feature on Earth
就是有丰富的水资源 is abundant liquid water.
被认为是早期火山爆发时形成的 It is thought that the earliest volcanoes
大量水蒸气 spewed out massive amounts of steam,
凝结成雨 which condensed into rain
从而滋润了整个星球 and supplied the planet with water.
但最近对于水的来源又有了新的说法 But recently, new sources of water have been suggested.
有些水源 Some of that water
可能是来自彗星 might have come from comets
有些水源可能是来自 or some of the water might have come
小行星带外围 from an outer Belt of Asteroids
那里富含水汽 that was rich in water.
换句话说 有些水源 In other words, some of the water
甚至可能来自陨石 could have come from the rocks
就是宇宙大爆炸后 that made the Earth near the end
形成地球的陨石 of this Era of Heavy Bombardment.
水源的出现是生命起源的关键 And water appears to be a key component for the origin of life.
理论认为 It was previously theorized
生命起源于原始水洼中 that life began in a primordial soup,
温暖的水汽中含有大量能源和大气成分 a warm pond containing energy and atmospheric elements
从而形成氨基酸 to make Amino Acids.
然而 最近的开创性研究宣称 However, the most recent pioneering research makes a strong claim
地球自身拥有的化学能源 that the Earth's own chemical energy
及丰富蛋白质 and rich proteins seeped up
通过大洋深处的喷口渗透出来 through hydrothermal vents deep under the ocean.
随着时间的推移 这些混合物 Over time, this mixture
产生了细胞生命 jump-started life
从而加速了生命的形成 by producing living cells.
众所周知 We know that liquid water
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
水是生命之源 is essential to life,
生命可能产生于水中 and life probably got started in a water environment,
究竟是产生于大洋深处的火山喷发 whether it's in the deep ocean at the volcanic vents
还是浅洼中 or in a shallow pond,
我们无法得知 We don't really know
生命是从哪里起源 是怎样形成的 where and how precisely life got started here.
但是地球产生了生命 But it did.
地球是唯一我们所知 And it's the only planet that we know
存在生命的星球 where life actually exists.
不论生命是怎样形成的 Regardless of how life started,
一次巧合 a fortunate event
使得生命向复杂进化成为可能 made it possible for complex creatures to evolve.
大约30亿年前 About 3 billion years ago,
原始的地下水细菌为了生存 ancient underwater bacteria
开始利用水 二氧化碳 太阳能 began to use water, Carbon Dioxide and the sun's energy
化合生成碳水化合物 to produce Carbohydrates in order to survive.
这个过程 被称作光合作用 This process, called Photosynthesis,
光合作用形成的氧气溶解进海水中 injected vast amounts of oxygen into seawater,
并逐渐形成今日的大气层 and eventually, our atmosphere.
生命不断进化 A huge step happened in evolution
地球也逐渐被氧气包围 when the Earth got polluted with oxygen.
地球形成伊始大气中并没有充足的氧气 We didn't start with a rich oxygen atmosphere!
但是后来 But later,
光合作用不断产生氧气 the oxygen atmosphere that developed on Earth, basically from Photosynthesis,
促使生命体愈加复杂 allowed life to get a lot more complex.
地球数十亿年间持续发展 After a few billion years of planetary
生物也不断进化 and biological evolution,
动植物也渐渐向陆地发展 the first plants and animals emerged from water on to land.
据估计 It's estimated
现代人类历史 that modern humans came onto the scene
仅仅20多万年 a mere 200,000 years ago,
人类的进化也伴随着技术革命 and with our evolution came the technological revolution of the planet.
从古代人建造的遗迹 From ancient man-made monuments
到如今繁华的都市 to bustling metropolitan cities,
人类开始从空间和地域上 Human Beings changed the way
改变地球的面貌 Earth looks on the ground and from space.
地球的面貌 The Earth's surface has started to be modified
受到人类城市建设的影响 very significantly by cities,
发生了翻天覆地的变化 by human activity.
人类只是地球的一部分 We're part of the Earth.
我们改变了地球的原本样貌 We've created all these changes on its surface.
从深层意义来说 And so, the Earth's geology,
地球的地质情况 in some deep sense,
因为城市的出现 has been radically altered
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
因为人类在地球上修建的大小建筑 by the appearances of cities,
已经被彻底改变 by the appearances of all the things that we do on the surface,
这尤其需要注意 and that's something that's remarkable,
据我们所知 and which, as far as we know,
别的星球还没有过这种变化 is not happening anywhere else.
太阳系其他星球上更没有过 Certainly, it's not happening anywhere else in our own Solar System.
我们已经探索了 Our cosmic tour has taken us
七大奇观 to seven wondrous sights,
土卫二间歇性冰泉 the Icy Geyser-Laden Moon, Enceladus,
土星美丽的光环 Saturn's sensational rings,
木星大红斑 Jupiter's Great Red Spot,
最大的火山 火星奥林帕斯山 the largest volcano, Olympus Mons,
神秘的小行星带 the mysterious Asteroid Belt
以及炙热的太阳 And our stormy sun.
这些难忘的冒险中 But this unforgettable adventure
可不能缺了我们家园地球的身影 would not have been possible without our home planet, Earth,
这里一切皆有可能 A place with endless possibilities.
上个世纪 Over the last century,
人类已经冶炼出金属以及其他材料 humans have manufactured metals and other materials
用于建造宇宙飞船 from our planet's crust to build spacecraft.
先进技术使得我们 Our technology will enable us to blast off
可以探索太空奇观 to explore the other wonders.
我们惊叹于这些遥远的奇观 We'll be able to marvel at these distant domains,
更意识到自己是广袤宇宙一部分 and realize that we're part of a much wider cosmic world.
巍巍奇观 发人深省 These awe-inspiring phenomena allow us to ponder
我们究竟是谁 又从何而来 who are we and why we are here.
这片壮丽天地 In this magnificent place,
便是宇宙 we call the Universe.
宇 宙
谢谢观赏
此字幕由“3D电视SRT字幕格式转换软件”转换 最初 宇宙是一片黑暗 In the beginning, there was darkness,
紧接着一声巨响 混沌初开 and then, bang, giving birth
时间 空间和物质 to an endless, expanding existence
开始不断膨胀 of time, space and matter.
每天 我们都在解密这神秘莫测 Every day, new discoveries are unlocking the mysterious,
令人疯狂的极端之地 the mind-blowing, the deadly secrets
宇宙 of a place we call the Universe.
这片广博寰宇 This cosmic world is unlike
不同于我们之前所见所学任何事物 anything you've ever seen or learned about.
银河系包含了宇宙中 Our galactic neighborhood
最壮美绚丽 is home to seven of the most mesmerizing, violent,
最超脱尘俗的七大奇观 and otherworldly phenomena in the universe.
有一座神奇星球 A stunning planet
其光环中的山脉 whose iconic rings contain mountain ranges
可媲美阿尔卑斯山 that rival the Alps,
一座闪闪的卫星上 a shimmering moon
间歇喷涌出大量水和冰 where massive geysers of water and ice spew from its surface.
我们先去看一个超大火山 Scale a mega volcano,
然后穿越小行星带 then zigzag through a family of Asteroids
去领略巨型旋风 before diving into the eye of a super-sized hurricane.
我们将见识太阳系中 Experience the newest, most mind-blowing discoveries
最新奇刺激的发现 revolving around our sun
体验其中的七大奇观 as we venture to the seven wonders of our Solar System.
本字幕由YYeTs人人影视翻译制作
翻译： 阿蘅阿蘅 QiWJ幽幽 陈易 Cath Angelica 小石头 校对&时间轴： 泡泡龙 后期&特效： 丢丢&鱼骨头 总监： 丢丢
字幕转换、时间轴调整：liwei
宇宙
太阳系七大奇观
如果你觉得已看遍 If you think science has already uncovered every dangerous,
太阳系中危险神秘的奇异现象 strange and extraordinary phenomenon under the sun,
那你大错特错 think again.
我们正处在 We are right now in the midst
宇宙探索大时代中 of the greatest era of space discovery,
许多光怪陆离 奇妙万千的现象 And many of the weird and wondrous things
就发生在我们身处的这个宇宙里 are happening right here in our own cosmic backyard.
太阳系真的是一个奇妙的地方 Our Solar System is a really fantastic place.
我们已经发现了许多其他行星系统 You know, we've now found other planetary systems,
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
但还未找到任何和太阳系相似的系统 and we've not yet found anything quite like our Solar System.
我们将开启一段神奇之旅 You've joined us on a magical journey
去探索太阳系 through the seven wonders
七大奇观 of our Solar System.
我们首先前往土星环 We first head for the Orbit of Saturn.
第七奇观 土卫二 Number seven, Enceladus.
2009年11月2日午夜 It's midnight, November 2, 2009.
NASA: 美国航天航空局
美国卡西尼号宇宙飞船 NASA's Cassini spacecraft
正沿土星轨道飞行 orbits the planet Saturn.
它拍摄到了土卫二 Its cameras capture something bizarre
表面的奇异现象 on one of its outer moons named Enceladus.
从地质学角度讲 Most of the Solar System's moons
太阳系中卫星都是死寂的 are geologically dead,
而土卫二南极表面虽被冰层覆盖 and looking at the glistening, icy surface of its south pole,
看起来宁静如常 Enceladus seems like a peaceful world.
突然毫无征兆地 Then suddenly, without warning,
从地表裂缝中 gargantuan geysers of water and ice
喷射出大量水和冰 eject from cracks on its surface.
土卫二是土星一个奇妙的卫星 Enceladus is a fantastic moon of Saturn.
虽然体积很小 Though it's relatively small,
但其火山活动与地球毫不相同 Enceladus is different from the volcanism that's here on Earth
地球上的火山从地下喷射出 where hot magma, which is basically molten rock,
熔融岩石形成的炽热岩浆 comes out from underneath Earth's surface.
土卫二喷射出的基本都是液态水 Enceladus has water, basically, liquid water
喷射出后即冻结成冰 coming out and freezing
因此也称之为冰火山 and so it's called Cryovolcanism.
卡西尼号宇宙飞船 The Cassini spacecraft flies directly
以1400英里时速穿过高达几百英里的 through the energetic plumes that blast hundreds of miles into space
喷射水柱 at 1,400 miles per hour.
土卫二着实吸引住了我们关注 Enceladus has really caught our imagination recently
虽然卫星南极间歇冰泉非常普遍 because we see geysers coming out of the south pole.
但在太阳系外围 我们还从未 We haven't seen anything like that
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
在任何冰化卫星上发现此现象 on any of the icy moons in the outer Solar System.
土卫二非常奇特 So something is going on in Enceladus,
我们想探究它如此活跃的原因 and it's active and we want to know why.
科学家计算得出土卫二南极 Scientists have counted at least 30 geyser jets
"老虎条纹"地质裂缝中 spouting from narrow geological fractures called Tiger Stripes
存在至少30处间歇冰泉 located along Enceladus' south polar region.
最新红外扫描地图显示 A new infrared map of the area
此区域地表温度极高 reveals warm surface temperatures.
从地底喷射出的水蒸汽 The heat emanating from the Tiger Stripes
使"老虎条纹"常年保持高温 may be due to the upwelling of water vapor that propels the jets.
有类似奇观的地方就是 One of the few other places to witness truly fascinating wonder,
地球 is on Earth.
在撒雪堆积的滑雪坡 At a freshly groomed ski slope
或是电影拍摄场地 or on a movie set.
看看这台造雪机器 Look at this snowmaking machine.
就像土卫二上的间歇冰泉 It's like a geyser from Enceladus.
喷出的冰粒和水珠 All these ice particles and water droplets
遇到外界空气后冻结成冰 freeze when they encounter that outside air,
膨胀的气体也会使水珠冷却 and the expanding gases also help cool the dropls
最后冻结成冰 and freeze them.
在土卫二上 In the case of Enceladus,
液态水在地底空间内加热 heated liquid water in a cauldron below the surface
随后从南极火山口喷涌而出 goes squirting out through some vents in the south polar region.
水喷射出来 And when that water comes out
进入外界低温环境 and encounters the cold surrounding space
就会冻结 形成雪花和冰粒 it freezes, forming snowflakes and ice particles,
就像这些造雪机造出来的雪一样 much like the ones coming out of this snowmaking machine.
所以我现在就像在土卫二上一样 So wow, I might as well be on Enceladus right now.
科学家认为土卫二上有2个内部热源 Scientists think there must be two internal heat sources
才会形成这种冰火山 driving this icy volcanism on Enceladus.
第一个热源是放射性元素 One source could be radioactive elements
其衰变后会加热内部温度 that decay and heat up the interior,
从而保持水的液体形态 thereby keeping the water in a liquid state.
第二个就是潮汐加热 The second could be tidal heating.
假设土卫二就像这个气球 Suppose Enceladus is like this squishy balloon.
土卫二以椭圆偏心轨道 Now Enceladus orbits Saturn in a slightly elliptical,
围绕土星运动 eccentric orbit.
有时离土星较近 So sometimes it's closer to Saturn,
有时离土星较远 sometimes it's farther away.
当距离较近时 When it's close to Saturn,
土星的引力 Saturn's gravitational pull
对土卫二形成潮汐引力作用 creates a greater tidal stretching of Enceladus
距离较远时就不会有这种现象 than when Enceladus is farther away.
潮汐引力作用 That leads to a rubbing
使卫星内部失去平衡 of the interior materials
因此释放出能量 and a release of energy.
这种潮汐力 This tidal friction, as it's called,
促使土卫二内部融化 helps melt the interior of Enceladus
从而使水保持液态或半液体形态 and keep the water in this molten or partly molten state.
另一个未解之谜 One mystery is,
就是土卫二地表下储存有多少水 how much water actually exists beneath the surface.
这个小型卫星下 Could the miniature moon
会不会隐藏着一个海洋 be hiding an underground ocean?
我们推断地下有一个液态海洋 We infer that there is a liquid ocean
因为间歇性冰泉必须要有水源 because there needs to be a source of water to power these geysers.
海洋可能没有遍布 The ocean may not extend
整个土卫二的内部 under the entire globe of Enceladus.
可能只存在于间歇冰泉所在的区域 It may be just beneath these regions where the geysers are going off,
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
但肯定的是 but there has to be
土卫二冰层下应存在 a significant reservoir of liquid water
一个重要的"地下水库" beneath the surface of Enceladus.
如果土卫二地表下真的存在液态水 If liquid water exists beneath the surface,
其中可能蕴含着大量有机分子 It could be teeming with organic molecules.
有机分子以及适宜温度 These, along with relatively warm temperatures,
都是创造生命的重要因素 are the essential ingredients for creating life.
如果能在土卫二地表下 It would be incredible
发现原始生命 if we were to find life, primitive life,
那将太不可思议了 underneath the surface of Enceladus.
我们并不指望出现类人生物 We don't expect complex creatures such as ourselves
或者兔子乌龟等高等生物 or rabbits or turtles,
但哪怕只是原始菌类或是微生物 but even primitive bacterial or microbial life,
此类能够在地球上独立存活的生命 independent of life on Earth
就算是有史以来最伟大的发现了 would be one of the greatest discoveries ever.
土卫二运行轨道 Enceladus actually orbits
其实就是太阳系又一大奇观 within another wonder of the Solar System.
第六奇观 土星环 Number six... The Rings of Saturn
土星环被发现后 The Rings named in alphabetical order
字母表顺序加以排序 as they were discovered,
它是宇宙中最绚丽的景象之一 are among the most dazzling sights in the sky.
旅行者号飞船对土星的第一次探测 The Voyager spacecraft first visited Saturn
已是很久前的事了 quite a while ago,
现在看到卡西尼号飞船提供的新影像 and now with the new images provided by Cassini.
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
像用3D眼镜看的一样真切 It's like putting on a pair of 3D glasses
我们首次细致详尽的看清 for the first time to be able to see with great detail
土星光环里到底有什么 what's inside Saturn's rings.
据估计 七条大光环中 Among the seven main rings,
有数千层小环环绕着这个气态行星 it's estimated that the gaseous planet has thousands of ringlets
其中包含有三十五万万亿吨的冰和尘埃 comprised of 35 trillion-trillion tons of ice and dust,
大约是地球水 containing roughly 26 million times
总重量二千六百万倍 the amount of water on Earth.
它们的起源 Yet their origin
也困扰了科学家们近几个世纪 has eluded scientists for centuries.
我们无从知晓这些光环起源 We really don't know their origin.
也许由于土星重力作用 They may consist of material
使它们无法相互撞击 that never had a chance to form into a moon
以形成卫星 because of gravitational influences of Saturn itself.
又或者它们就是卫星 Or maybe, they're a moon
由于太靠近土星而破裂 that wandered too close to Saturn and got broken up,
被土星的潮汐引力作用打的支离破碎 shattered by the tidal gravitational effects of Saturn.
甚至可能是一颗彗星 Or possibly even,
运动过于靠近土星 a comet came in too close to Saturn
受土星巨大潮汐引力作用 and got tidally disrupted
从而土崩瓦解 by Saturn's immense gravitational field.
更加引人注目的是 What's even more remarkable
科学家统计出 is that scientists have counted
土星环中还隐藏着62颗卫星 62 moons embedded in Saturn's rings.
最新影像资料表明这些卫星 New images indicate that these tiny satellites
使光环更加光彩照人 have taken the rings to new heights.
2009年8月11日 August 11, 2009.
一张罕见土星昼夜平分的照片中 A rare equinox photo of Saturn
土星光环 shows her rings
侧向反射了太阳光 "edge on" to the sun.
这幅照片揭开了一个惊人的事实 The image unveils a shocking fact:
曾一度被认为 The bright bands that
固态平整的光环 once appeared to be solid and flat,
土星F环中细小波段
事实上还包含着山脊 actually contain ridges,
从几英尺一直延伸向高耸的山脉 spanning from a few feet to mountain ranges
山脉
其高度比阿尔卑斯山还要高 taller than the Alps.
通过地球上的望远镜 When you look at Saturn's rings
观察土星环时 from a telescope on Earth,
它们看起来光滑而普通 they look completely smooth and featureless.
但现在所看到的那些区域 But now we see that there are regions
土星F环中细小波段
是由光环粒子堆砌而成 where the ring particles are piled up into,
你可以称之为"山" what you could call mountains,
山脉
高度可达数英里 which can be several miles high.
但这些高峰是怎么形成的呢 But how are these mile-high mountains formed?
美国卡西尼号太空船 NASA's Cassini mission
成功捕捉到环内卫星 actually captured images of embedded moons
在土星环中运行 sweeping through Saturn's rings
使得光环扭曲不平 causing them to twist and ripple
从而形成百变造型的影像 creating ever-changing patterns.
在土星A环 In Saturn's "A" Ring,
即土星最外层主光环中 the outermost of the large bright rings,
土卫三十五距离土星环垂直距离 the moon Daphnis has carved a vertical peak,
土卫三十五
土星A环
垂直顶点
超过两点五英里 which is over 2 1/2 miles high.
卫星在运行过程中 The moons are interacting with Saturn's rings, in such a way,
克利福德·约翰逊 南加州大学
与土星环之间的相互作用 as to either pull material
可以将物质排斥远离光环 slightly above the ring or below the ring
也可吸引入光环 as the moon goes round,
因为其运行轨道和光环自身轨道不太一致 because its orbit doesn't quite match that of the ring itself.
环绕着土星的光环 The ring system surrounding Saturn
堪称壮丽之景 is a spectacular sight.
但在临近星球上 But on a neighboring planet,
却又是另一番景象 there's a very different scene,
巨大的让人难以置信的景象 one almost too monstrous to believe.
这在我们七大奇观中 It's number five in our countdown
排名第五 of the seven amazing wonders,
这是个超级旋风圈 A raging storm,
它几乎可以圈下三个地球 that's nearly three times the size of Earth.
我们将继续 As we continue our countdown
探索太阳系七大奇观 of the seven wonders of our Solar System,
我们已经探索过了第七奇观 土二卫 We leave behind number seven, Enceladus
和第六奇观 土星环 and number six, The Rings of Saturn.
下面我们冲击 We now blast off
第五奇观 to number five,
木星大红斑 Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
这个超级风暴 This mother of all storms
足以圈下三个地球 is about three times the size of Earth.
我们还无法探知 We don't know exactly
大红斑是如何形成的 how the Red Spot formed.
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
自人类观测开始它就已经存在了 It's been there as long as we've been looking,
可以上溯至十七世纪五十年代 as far back as the 1650s.
所以说在我们对其探索研究之前 So it was there before we started
它就存在了 really paying attention.
大红斑 The Great Red Spot
事实上是种远古风暴 is actually an ancient storm
它已猛烈的旋转了几个世纪 that's been spinning wildly for centuries.
这个巨型的漩涡 The super-sized vortex
高耸于木星云层之上五英里处 towers five miles above the planet's cloud tops
但低于地球上任何风暴系统 and dwarfs any storm system on Earth.
据推测 木星大红斑内 The 400-mile-an-hour winds
风速达到了四百英里每小时 measured in Jupiter's Great Red Spot
比地球上最强劲龙卷风 are faster than some of the most powerful winds
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
的速度还要快 measured in tornadoes here on Earth.
然而地球上的龙卷风 Yet, tornadoes on Earth only last,
仅仅持续十几分钟 maybe a few tens of minutes
至多几个小时 or at most a couple of hours,
但是木星大红斑 whereas Jupiter's Great Red Spot's
已经猛烈的运动了至少四百年 been going strong for at least 400 years,
而且大小相当于三个地球那么大 and it's three times the size of Earth.
你一定不想困进去吧 Now that's one storm you don't want to get caught in.
地球南半球大多数热带风暴 Most tropical storms in Earth's southern hemisphere
是和地球一样顺时针旋转的 spin clockwise as our planet rotates.
但是木星大红斑的运行轨道 But on Jupiter, the Great Red Spot
却与众不同 follows an unearthly path.
木星大红斑 The Great Red Spot,
位于木星南半球 which is in Jupiter's southern hemisphere,
是逆时针旋转的 rotates counterclockwise.
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
这属于反气旋 It's anticyclonic,
这是因为木星上是高气压系统 and that's because it's a high pressure system,
不像地球上的 unlike the low pressure systems here on Earth,
常伴随有风暴的低气压 associated with storms.
因此高气压中的气流 So when you have a high-pressure system,
方向也就自然而然的 the airflow is naturally
与低气压系统的方向相反了 the opposite to that of a low-pressure system.
这个远古风暴团的起源 The origin of this long-lived storm
使天文学家们深表疑惑 has baffled astronomers.
但现在 这个风暴团的神秘面纱 But now, science may be on the verge
即将被揭开 of unraveling its stormy secrets.
哈勃太空望远镜 The Hubble space telescope
近日拍下了木星上三个 recently snapped images of three smaller storms
被称为白斑的小型风暴团的图像 on Jupiter called white spots.
白斑
三年后 Within three years,
这三个白斑相互融合 the three white spots merged
形成一个与地球大小相同的风暴团 to form one Earth-size storm.
然后 出乎所有人预料 Then, the unexpected happened.
仅过了一周 Over the course of only about a week,
风暴团就从白色转变成亮红色 the storm turned from white to bright red.
我们称之为椭圆二号 It's now known as Oval BA
有时也称为小红斑 or sometimes Red Junior.
小红斑
它为何会变红 Why it turned red
又是如何变红的 and exactly how that happened
现在还无从知晓 is still a mystery.
现在天文学家怀疑类似的合并 Astronomers now suspect a similar merger
可能就是大红斑的成因 may have also created the Great Red Spot.
这过程与小红斑相似 And like red junior,
猛烈的风暴团最初呈现白色 the ferocious storm may have originally been white.
但随着它的速度加快 But as its speed grew faster,
它开始把来自木星大气层深处的 i began dredging up material
一些物质吸收上来 from deep in Jupiter's atmosphere.
其中一种 One of the compounds
可能是硫的某种化合物 could actually be a form of sulfur.
我们还不完全清楚 We don't fully understand
格里·朗林 加州大学 圣克鲁斯分校
大红斑为何成砖红色 why the red spot has its characteristic Brick red color,
也许是其中的化合物 but probably there are chemical compounds
与阳光产生反应 which are reacting with the sunlight
从而形成了这种颜色 and are giving it this color.
天文学家一直在密切关注大红斑 Astronomers have been closely monitoring the Great Red Spot,
在最近十年里 and in the last decade
他们观测到一个惊人变化 they have detected an astonishing change.
我们观测到大红斑一直在萎缩 We've been watching the Great Red Spot shrink,
而且变得越来越园 and actually become rounder for some time now.
谁知道它会不会再存在四百年 Who knows if it's going to persist for another 400 years
或许会完全消失 Or maybe disappear entirely.
大红斑是太阳系中 The Great Red Spot is by far
迄今为止最大的风暴团 the biggest storm in our Solar System.
离开木星之后 But after leaving Jupiter,
我们向太阳的方向 we head about 200 million miles
继续前进两亿英里 in the direction of the sun,
与另一奇观 and have a close encounter
来一次亲密接触 with another barely believable wonder.
第四奇观 Number four,
小行星带 the Asteroid Belt.
科学家们希望了解更多 Scientists want to know more
关于这片小行星堆的起源 about the origin of this cosmic junkyard of wayward debris,
这些碎片在太阳系形成伊始就存在了 which is left over from the formation of the Solar System.
很长一段时间内 For a long time
我们都以为 we thought that, maybe, there had been
是某颗星球爆裂形成的 a planet there that got pulverized,
是某场大灾难的遗迹 qnd we were just seeing the debris of some major catastrophe.
我们现在逐渐意识到 But we pretty much now realize
在那片区域不可能存在行星 that a planet never was able to form there.
来自木星和其它星球的引力 The gravitational pull from Jupiter and the other planets
不可能让物质合成新行星 just made it impossible for material to coalesce into a planet.
在这片一亿英里宽的小行星带中 We traverse through 100 million miles of rocks,
有的小行星直径只有几英尺 some as small as several feet,
有的直径比城市还大 others bigger than cities.
这片区域可能含有数百万的小行星碎片 The belt probably contains millions of rocky pieces.
然而 如果所有的小行星 Yet, if all the asteroids
被压缩成一个整体的话 were condensed into one boulder,
可能比月球还小 it would be smaller than our Moon.
研究这些小行星 We can start to learn more about
有助于帮我们了解 the history of our Solar System
太阳系的起源 by studying the small bodies in our Solar System: the Asteroids.
我们希望了解它们是如何运行的 We'd like to know how they moved around,
如何受巨大行星影响 how were they affected by the giant planets,
还有它们最终命运会如何 and what is their ultimate fate?
会变成什么形态 What will happen to them?
陨石 Meteorite!
商业电影中小行星带被描绘成 Popular movies have portrayed the Asteroid Belt
宇宙陨石集中地 as a cosmic obstacle course,
在这里太空船需要闪避巨大陨石 a place where spaceships dodge enormous boulders
陨石在坠入大气撞击地球之前 that constantly collide and jostle for position
会不断互撞而争夺轨道 before hurtling down from space to destroy planet Earth.
但好莱坞电影描述的正确吗 But has Hollywood gotten it wrong?
小行星带有多么拥挤 How congested is the Asteroid Belt?
这是一位观众最想知道的宇宙秘密 That's what one viewer wanted to ask the universe.
密苏里州肯萨斯市的乔·T.向我们发来短信 So Joel T. From Kansas City, Missouri texted us...
电影是否准确反映出小行星带真实模样
感谢乔的提问 Thanks for the question, Joel.
我知道这有点震惊 I know this is a bit shocking,
但大多数商业电影 but the Asteroid Belt hasn't always been portrayed
对小行星带的描绘有严重偏差 terribly accurately in most blockbuster movies.
如果你在太阳系小行星带中 If you were orbiting an asteroid
随轨道运动 inside our Solar System's Asteroid Belt,
你无法察觉 You wouldn't be able to see
这些坑坑洼洼的巨型小行星 big cratered surfaces of other asteroids
向你飞来 flying right next to you.
事实上 它们看上去 In fact, they probably look
就像是星星点点的灯火 just like distant points of light.
因为小行星带中绝大多数小行星 That's because the average separations
相互之间平均距离 between most asteroids in the Asteroid Belt
远远超出它们的实际大小 are much larger than their actual sizes.
所以它们看起来非常渺小 So they'd really just look like dots.
宇宙秘密
事实上 两颗小行星之间平均距离 In fact, an average distance
大约一百万英里 between two asteroids can be one million miles.
然而在这些奇形怪状的陨石中 However, among this spacious sea of odd-shaped rocks,
也存在一个圆球形天体 exists a round ball.
谷神星是太阳系中最大的小行星 Ceres is the biggest asteroid in the Solar System.
这块直径六百英里的巨型陨石 The awesome 600-mile wide rock
占小行星带总质量的四分之一 contains a fourth of the entire mass of the Asteroid Belt.
小行星带中大多数小行星 Most asteroids in the Asteroid Belt
都成块状 are lumpy shaped,
有点像土豆 kind of like potatoes,
但谷神星不同 but Ceres is different.
事实上 它非常庞大 拥有足够质量 It's actually big enough to have enough mass,
与重力 to have enough gravity,
使其成圆形 to crush itself into a round shape.
鉴于它独特的圆形特征 Because of its spherical shape,
谷神星升级了 ceres was upgraded.
最近科学家们把它列为矮行星 Scientists recently listed it as a Dwarf Planet,
和冥王星的分级一样 the same designation given to Pluto.
现在人们的观点是 它的规模太小 The modern view of Ceres is that it's not big enough
还不足以称之为星球 to be called a genuine planet,
但其质量足够大 but it is big enough for it to have formed
以形成近球状外形 a roughly spherical shape,
但还不足以成为一颗真正的星球 but not big enough to be a true planet.
这个第四奇观 This fourth wonder
不仅是太阳系形成初始 not only holds unique artifacts
就遗留下来的独特产物 fFrom the formation of our Solar System,
更是潜在大规模杀伤性武器 it also harbors potential weapons of mass destruction.
许多小行星脱离了 Many asteroids have escaped
小行星带的束缚 the confine of the Asteroid Belt.
某个时候 And at any moment,
这些离群的太空陨石 one of these rogue space rocks
可能会导致悲剧重演 could repeat history,
没人能存活下来 and no one will live to talk about it.
目前为止 So far,
我们已经领略了太阳系 our journey through the seven wonders
七大奇观之中的 of the Solar System has taken us
土卫二间歇冰泉 to the geysers of Enceladus,
土星环 the Rings of Saturn
以及木星大红斑 and the Great Red Spot on Jupiter.
现在 我们继续探索太阳系第四大奇观 Now, we continue to travel through the fourth of our wonders,
小行星带 the Asteroid Belt.
这些远古遗物曾被搬上大银幕 This band of leftover debris has even made it to the big screen,
最令好莱坞着迷的 and the rocks Hollywood is obsessed with the most
是那些脱离小行星带 are those that escape the Asteroid Belt
撞击地球的天外陨石 and head for planet Earth.
近地天体是指 Near-Earth Objects or NEOs
几乎每天都光临地球的 are cosmic rocks like asteroids or comets,
外太空岩石 例如小行星或者彗星 which strike Earth almost every day.
我们确实对近地天体很感兴趣 We're really very interested in Near-Earth Objects,
关注那些穿过地球公转轨道的天体 objects that pass across the orbit of the Earth around the sun
因为它们撞击地球的几率非常大 because occasionally they can and do collide with the Earth,
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
如果足够大 则可能对地球造成大面积破坏 and if they're big enough they can cause vast destruction here on Earth.
2010年4月14日 On April 14, 2010,
有镜头捕捉到一直径三英尺的小行星 cameras caught sight of a 3-foot fiery asteroid
从美国中西部天空呼啸划过 streaming over the Midwestern United States.
幸运的是 在它撞到地面前 Fortunately, the cosmic rock broke into tiny pieces
就已碎裂成小块 before hitting the ground.
但在过去 But in the past,
美国 亚利桑那州
小行星撞击曾形成巨大陨坑 large asteroid impacts have created gigantic craters,
澳大利亚西部
加拿大 魁北克
甚至导致了大规模物种灭绝 and even triggered mass extinction events
比如导致恐龙灭绝的希克苏鲁伯小行星 like the Chicxulub asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs.
在过去的十多亿年中 Over the last billions of years,
地球被大小不一的小行星撞击过无数次 Earth has been hit many times by asteroids of various sizes.
大约6500万年前 The impact that occurred roughly 65 million years ago
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
一颗直径大约大约六英里的的小行星 that perhaps wiped out the dinosaurs
撞向了今日墨西哥的区域 was an example of something that was about six miles across
促使恐龙灭亡 that slammed into, what is now Mexico,
对全球造成了难以想象的影响 and caused huge global ramifications for the Earth.
目前 一系列最新太空研究 A number of new space surveys are currently tracking
正在追踪 all Near-Earth Objects
所有足以摧毁一座现代城市的近地天体 that are large enough to destroy a modern city,
其中一些甚至会导致全球性大灾难 or even worse, ignite a global catastrophe.
我们已经追踪了所有直径超过一英里 We know of most of the objects that are larger than a mile
而且运行轨道可能与地球相交的天体 that can intersect the Earth's orbit,
现在的目标是 and so the effort now is going in to
定位那些体育场大小的天体 finding these sort of stadium-sized objects,
虽然不足以毁灭地球 that while not completely devastating to the entire Earth,
但仍会对地球造成巨大影响 would be a huge deal if they hit the Earth.
我们将小行星带留在身后 As we leave behind the Asteroid Belt,
驶向七大奇迹的下一站 we chart a course to the next of our seven wonders,
第三奇观 number three...
火星奥林帕斯山 Olympus Mons.
太阳系中最大的火山 the largest volcano in the Solar System.
离火星越来越近 As we approach the planet mars,
这座硕大无朋的山体立刻吸引了我们的注意 we immediately catch sight of this mammoth mountain.
山体底部直径大约350英里 The base of it is about almost 350 miles across,
这段距离相当于 that's, as though, the base of the mountain
从洛杉矶到旧金山 were from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
所以虽然海拔很高 So even though it's so high,
但是坡度很平缓 the slope is very gradual.
你几乎无法察觉自己在爬山 You would barely know you were climbing a mountain.
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
它不是陡峭的火山 It's not like a steep volcano,
坡度很平缓 It's just... It's a smooth, low slope,
但是仿佛没有尽头 but it just goes on forever.
奥林帕斯山位于塔尔西斯高地 Olympus Mons is located in the Tharsis Bulge,
在那一地区还许多其他大型火山 a region on the red planet that's home to other massive volcanoes.
如果你爬上13英里高的山顶 If you climb the 13 miles to its summit,
你可以看到火星大气的边缘 you could take in a view of the very edge of the Martian atmosphere.
奥林帕斯山比地球最高峰高出许多倍 Olympus Mons is several times higher than the highest mountains on Earth,
而山体底部更是方圆几百英里 and its base is hundreds of miles across.
在过去的数十亿年间 And it's been formed over the last billions of years
经过一次又一次的火山喷发 by eruption after eruption after eruption,
由无数层的岩浆堆积而成 which has slowly surfaced it with successive layers of lava.
一亿年前 滚烫的岩浆从山顶喷涌而出 100 million years ago, hot lava rivers poured down from its peak
覆盖了几百万平方英里的火星地表 to cover millions of square miles of the red planet.
坐落于夏威夷岛的莫纳罗亚山 Today Olympus Mons is 100 times
是地球上最大的火山 the volume of Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa,
如今的奥林帕斯山体积是它的100倍 located on the big island of Hawaii.
奥林帕斯山比地球上的一切都大许多 Olympus Mons got so much larger than anything here,
原因有许多 for, well, a number of reasons.
有一点是肯定的 那里有很多的火山运动 One is certainly, there was just a lot of volcanic activity.
其二则是那里的重力小很多 A second is that mare's gravity is much lower.
你在火星上的体重会轻许多 You weigh a lot less on mars.
所以随着山体的增高 它不会塌方 So as the mountain built up, it didn't compact back down.
火山可以堆积得很高而不崩塌 It was able to build up to a pretty huge volcano without collapsing.
第三点 The third and perhaps most important reason
也许是其如此巨大最重要的原因 why Olympus Mons is so huge
火星上没有板块构造 is that mars doesn't have plate tectonics,
不像地球 the movement of crustal plates
熔融状地幔上方的地壳会发生运动 that rest on top of the molten interior of bodies, such as Earth.
奥林帕斯山体积可以增长到如此巨大 Olympus Mons grew to such a big size
因为火星上没有板块运动 because of the lack of tectonic motions on mars.
岩浆喷涌而出的地点 The hot spot from which the lava, the magma, emerged
始终不变 remained at one location,
这就可以堆积起越来越大山体 allowing more and more material to build up
形成一座超级火山 and create a super mountain, a super volcano.
火星现在被认为处于地质不活跃期 Mars is now presumed to be geologically inactive.
但是那火山猛兽是真的已死 But is the volcanic beast really dead
抑或仅仅还在休眠 or merely a sleeping giant?
欧洲航天局的火星快车号日前捕捉到了 The European Space Agency's Mars Express Mission recently captured
有史以来分辨率最高的岩浆流图象 the highest resolution images ever taken of the planet's lava flows.
有些可以追溯到一亿多年前 Some flows date back 115 million years,
但还有一些仅有200万年历史 but others are only 2 million years old,
以地质时间刻度来看那是很短的时间 and on geologic time scales that's very recent,
也就意味着现在也许还有火山喷发 which suggests there still may be some volcanic activity.
如果看看奥林帕斯山表面 If we look at the surface of Olympus Mons,
我们能看到有一些岩浆流之上 we see especially that there are lava flows,
几乎没有陨石坑 which have very few craters on them.
于是我们知道 这些岩浆流 And so, we know that those lava flows are
最老也不过一两千万年 perhaps 10s-20 million years old at the oldest.
但是喷发运动一直在继续 But the eruptive activity has been going on
如果不是一直延续到了今天 until the relatively recent past,
那也是不久之前才停止的 if not right up until the present day.
奥林帕斯山也许曾经产生过大量的岩浆 Olympus Mons may have once produced vast amounts of lava,
但那地狱烈焰般的热度 but its hellish heat paled in comparison
与我们太阳系七大奇观 to the current temperatures
榜上第二名相比 of number two on our countdown
则是小巫见大巫了 of the seven incredible wonders of our Solar System.
它远看像是个大火球 This may look like a ball of flames.
其表面是温度高达一万度 But its surface is an ocean
等离子海洋 Of 10,000-degree plasma
伴随着大风巨浪 with waves, winds
以及大规模喷发 and massive eruptions
堪比十亿吨TNT炸药同时爆炸 as explosive as a billion tons of TNT.
下一个将要探究的太阳系奇观 Our next wonder of the Solar System
既是地球的朋友 又是最大敌人 has been Earth's best friend and foe.
它用光和热笼罩着我们的星球 It's bathed our planet with heat and energy,
但其释放的致命高能粒子波 But it's also blasted us with potentially deadly
也会伤害到我们 highly energetic particles and waves.
我们继续探索第二奇观 We now navigate around number two:
极热的太阳表面 the sizzling surface of the sun.
太阳表面相当杂乱无序 The surface of the sun is really quite chaotic.
它持续沸腾 不断冒泡 It's always boiling and bubbling.
还从太阳内部 In particular, there are hot cells of gas
释放出热能气体 that come out from the interior up,
散发能量 逐渐冷却 radiate their energy, cool,
然后下沉回去 and then, come back down.
这种对流过程 So this convection, as it's called,
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
这种沸腾运动 This boiling motion, similar to
与水的沸腾非常相似 what you see in a boiling pot of water,
是在地表附近发生的 is occurring near the surface.
时至今日 We have never been able to
我们终于可以 look at the sun's surface
直视太阳表面 up close until now.
此部分字幕有误,以后补加。
克利福德·约翰逊 南加州大学
人造卫星最新采集行动
即拍摄我们守护之星的图像
这些稀有影像让人感觉 These unprecedented movies make you feel like
太阳光球层表面 you're an arm's distance away
已经触手可及 from touching the sun's visible surface called the Photosphere.
太阳风暴及其他剧烈活动 This is where solar storms
就发生在这一层 and other violent phenomena occur.
如果你能完好无损的到达太阳表面 The surface of the sun,
你会发现那里 if you were somehow able to go there and protect yourself,
非常嘈杂 异常炎热 活动的非常猛烈 is an incredibly noisy, hot and violent place.
表层温度高达数千度 There are temperatures thousands of degrees.
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
还有持续不断的磁暴 There are continuous magnetic storms
并伴随雷鸣般的声响 that create huge, basically thunder-like sounds.
在最新纪录影像中 In this new movie,
美国太阳动力学观测卫星 NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory
记录了一次日珥爆发 recorded a Prominence.
这是一簇相对低温的等离子 This is a relatively cool, dense cloud of plasma
受磁力影响 that sits suspended above the solar surface,
悬浮于太阳表面 supported by magnec forces.
如图所示 As seen here, Prominences
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
引起等离子大爆炸 And these throw up giant blasts of plasma
形成的日珥有着奇怪的弧度 That come out along curious looking arcs.
但这些日珥仍循 But these are actually following
太阳磁力线的轨迹 the magnetic field lines around the sun.
爆发出的日珥也会 Eruptive Prominences can occur in tandem
与另一个日珥相互串联 with another solar ejection.
而对地球的破坏力 That can deliver a double punch,
也将加倍 if directed at the Earth.
美国太阳和太阳风层探测器 NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
即SOHO or SOHO,
近日拍摄到一组 recently took dramatic movies
大规模日冕物质抛射 of Coronal Mass Ejections,
即CMEs or CMEs.
这些高温电离气体组成的气泡 These massive bubbles of hot ionized gas
含有高达一百亿吨的太阳物质 contain up to 10 billion tons of solar material.
它们以几百万英里的时速 They shoot out into space
喷向太空 at speeds of several million miles an hour.
日冕物质抛射属于超大型太阳风 Coronal Mass Ejections are incredibly powerful storms.
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
光是那巨大的能量 They can be as massive as a billion h-bombs,
就比得上十亿颗氢弹 just huge amounts of energy.
那些等离子射到地球时 And sometimes those big blobs of plasma strike the Earth
会形成美丽的北极光 and lead to beautiful northern lights, aurorae displays.
也会对地球造成相当大的损害 They can also be very harmful to the Earth.
当日冕物质抛射产物射向地球时 When large Coronal Mass Ejections are blasted toward Earth
会触发磁暴 they can trigger geomagnetic storms.
这些电离粒子 These blobs of ionized particles
会损害甚至摧毁卫星 can damage or even terminate satellites
更会破坏地球上的电网 as well as fry our electrical grids.
更有甚者 What's more,
进行太空行走时 They're extremely hazardous to astronauts
这些粒子会对宇航员造成极大的伤害 when outside of the protection of a spacecraft.
日冕物质抛射会释放X射线 The CMEs generate X-Rays.
因此进行太空行走时 So, if you're out in space,
如果遇到日冕物质抛射 you would get quite a dose of radiation,
会被严重辐射到 if you were in one of these CMEs.
幸运的是大气层吸收了绝大部分射线 Luckily, our atmosphere absorbs most of the X-Rays,
因此在地表 and we don't experience the bad effects here
不会受到影响 on the surface of the Earth.
这些最新拍摄的影像令人心生畏惧 These latest images are chilling reminders
提醒我们必须时刻关注太阳表面活动 that our sun's surface is a force to reckon with.
在不久的将来 And things may really heat up on our home star
太阳表面也许会持续升温 in the very near future.
太阳活动以十一年为一个周期 Solar activity runs through an 11-year cycle.
2013年将达到顶峰 In 2013, our sun will be at the peak of this cycle
因此也称为太阳峰年 called the Solar Maximum.
此时 At this time,
太阳表面会爆发超级风暴 the surface of the sun could create the perfect storm.
太阳曾经爆发过太阳风 The sun has had in the past big solar storms
破坏了地球上的电网 that have knocked out power grids
并中断通讯卫星 and our communication satellites.
将来也会爆发更多太阳风 There will be more storms.
在我们这一代 甚至接下来的几千年里 They might happen at any time or they may not happen,
随时都可能爆发 也可能再也不爆发 you know, in our lifetime or even in the next millennium.
我们只是不知道 We just don't know.
但太阳风暴无法破坏 But one thing a solar storm can't destroy
太阳系七大奇观中的 is number one on our countdown of the seven wonders
第一奇观 of our Solar System,
它是太阳系第五大行星 It's the fifth largest planet.
其十分之一的表面 One tenth of its surface
终年覆盖冰雪 is permanently covered with ice,
它的内部炽热无比 蕴藏着大量岩浆 And its hot interior has been churning up enough magma
地表的火山因而持续喷发数十亿年 to keep volcanoes erupting for billions of years.
太阳系七大奇观探索之旅 The exploration of our cosmic neighborhood
将以第一大奇观压轴 climaxes with a touchdown on number one of the seven wonders,
那就是地球 Earth
毫无疑问 The Earth, without a doubt,
地球是太阳系独一无二的伟大奇迹 is the single greatest wonder in the Solar System.
艾力克斯·菲利潘科 加州大学 伯克利分校
非常适合人类的生存 The Earth is so perfect for our existence.
有液态水 There's liquid water.
有大气层 There's an atmosphere.
有舒适的温度 There's comfortable temperatures.
这是个极好的星球 It's just a great place.
地球是距离太阳第三远的行星 Earth, the third planet from the sun,
其魅力令人窒息 is brimming with breathtaking beauty.
跟太阳系其他天体不同 Unlike any other body in the Solar System,
地球有将近2/3的表面被水覆盖 liquid water covers nearly 2/3 of its surface.
各大洲陆地景观各不相同 Its continents inherited a diverse landscape,
它拥有全宇宙 and it's the only planet confirmed
最独特的生态环境 to support life in all its amazing forms.
地球许多独有特征 Earth has a number of different features
使其在太阳系中变得独一无二 that make it truly unique in our Solar System.
比如说 For one thing,
地球既不会出现铄石流金的高温 it's not boiling hot
艾米·梅泽 美国宇航局 喷气推进实验室
也不会出现冰天雪地的低温 and nor is it freezing cold.
地球与太阳的距离适中 It's just at the right distance from the sun
使地球温度适宜 有利于生命体的发展 to be a very moderate temperature that supports life.
再比如说 For another thing,
地球既不完全被水所覆盖 it's not completely a water world
也不完全被干燥的沙漠所覆盖 nor is it completely a dry desert either.
水陆配合相得益彰 It's got just the right mix of land and ocean
进而支持多种生物的发展 to support a wide variety of species.
科学通过研究 Science is now getting closer
地球的形成过程 to solving the mystery of how life got started
逐渐揭开了生命起源的神秘面纱 by retracing the steps of our planet's formation.
46亿年前 4.6 billion years ago,
太阳形成的过程中 In the swirling disk of debris
遗留了许多相互绕转的碎片 left over from the formation of our newborn sun,
气体和尘埃粒子 gas and dust particles
开始聚集在一起 began to clump together.
最终形成巨大的岩石和冰川 They eventually formed large boulders made of rock and ice
就如今天的小行星和彗星 that we see today as asteroids and comets.
几百万年前 For millions of years,
这些天体相撞 these bodies collided
然后又组合形成行星 and coalesced to form planets.
地球需要一些特殊物质 During this birthing process,
才能完成这样的形成过程 Earth acquired some special properties.
地球独有的特征 One unique feature on Earth
就是有丰富的水资源 is abundant liquid water.
被认为是早期火山爆发时形成的 It is thought that the earliest volcanoes
大量水蒸气 spewed out massive amounts of steam,
凝结成雨 which condensed into rain
从而滋润了整个星球 and supplied the planet with water.
但最近对于水的来源又有了新的说法 But recently, new sources of water have been suggested.
有些水源 Some of that water
可能是来自彗星 might have come from comets
有些水源可能是来自 or some of the water might have come
小行星带外围 from an outer Belt of Asteroids
那里富含水汽 that was rich in water.
换句话说 有些水源 In other words, some of the water
甚至可能来自陨石 could have come from the rocks
就是宇宙大爆炸后 that made the Earth near the end
形成地球的陨石 of this Era of Heavy Bombardment.
水源的出现是生命起源的关键 And water appears to be a key component for the origin of life.
理论认为 It was previously theorized
生命起源于原始水洼中 that life began in a primordial soup,
温暖的水汽中含有大量能源和大气成分 a warm pond containing energy and atmospheric elements
从而形成氨基酸 to make Amino Acids.
然而 最近的开创性研究宣称 However, the most recent pioneering research makes a strong claim
地球自身拥有的化学能源 that the Earth's own chemical energy
及丰富蛋白质 and rich proteins seeped up
通过大洋深处的喷口渗透出来 through hydrothermal vents deep under the ocean.
随着时间的推移 这些混合物 Over time, this mixture
产生了细胞生命 jump-started life
从而加速了生命的形成 by producing living cells.
众所周知 We know that liquid water
劳拉·丹丽 格里菲思天文台
水是生命之源 is essential to life,
生命可能产生于水中 and life probably got started in a water environment,
究竟是产生于大洋深处的火山喷发 whether it's in the deep ocean at the volcanic vents
还是浅洼中 or in a shallow pond,
我们无法得知 We don't really know
生命是从哪里起源 是怎样形成的 where and how precisely life got started here.
但是地球产生了生命 But it did.
地球是唯一我们所知 And it's the only planet that we know
存在生命的星球 where life actually exists.
不论生命是怎样形成的 Regardless of how life started,
一次巧合 a fortunate event
使得生命向复杂进化成为可能 made it possible for complex creatures to evolve.
大约30亿年前 About 3 billion years ago,
原始的地下水细菌为了生存 ancient underwater bacteria
开始利用水 二氧化碳 太阳能 began to use water, Carbon Dioxide and the sun's energy
化合生成碳水化合物 to produce Carbohydrates in order to survive.
这个过程 被称作光合作用 This process, called Photosynthesis,
光合作用形成的氧气溶解进海水中 injected vast amounts of oxygen into seawater,
并逐渐形成今日的大气层 and eventually, our atmosphere.
生命不断进化 A huge step happened in evolution
地球也逐渐被氧气包围 when the Earth got polluted with oxygen.
地球形成伊始大气中并没有充足的氧气 We didn't start with a rich oxygen atmosphere!
但是后来 But later,
光合作用不断产生氧气 the oxygen atmosphere that developed on Earth, basically from Photosynthesis,
促使生命体愈加复杂 allowed life to get a lot more complex.
地球数十亿年间持续发展 After a few billion years of planetary
生物也不断进化 and biological evolution,
动植物也渐渐向陆地发展 the first plants and animals emerged from water on to land.
据估计 It's estimated
现代人类历史 that modern humans came onto the scene
仅仅20多万年 a mere 200,000 years ago,
人类的进化也伴随着技术革命 and with our evolution came the technological revolution of the planet.
从古代人建造的遗迹 From ancient man-made monuments
到如今繁华的都市 to bustling metropolitan cities,
人类开始从空间和地域上 Human Beings changed the way
改变地球的面貌 Earth looks on the ground and from space.
地球的面貌 The Earth's surface has started to be modified
受到人类城市建设的影响 very significantly by cities,
发生了翻天覆地的变化 by human activity.
人类只是地球的一部分 We're part of the Earth.
我们改变了地球的原本样貌 We've created all these changes on its surface.
从深层意义来说 And so, the Earth's geology,
地球的地质情况 in some deep sense,
因为城市的出现 has been radically altered
格瑞格·拉夫林 加州大学 圣克鲁兹分校
因为人类在地球上修建的大小建筑 by the appearances of cities,
已经被彻底改变 by the appearances of all the things that we do on the surface,
这尤其需要注意 and that's something that's remarkable,
据我们所知 and which, as far as we know,
别的星球还没有过这种变化 is not happening anywhere else.
太阳系其他星球上更没有过 Certainly, it's not happening anywhere else in our own Solar System.
我们已经探索了 Our cosmic tour has taken us
七大奇观 to seven wondrous sights,
土卫二间歇性冰泉 the Icy Geyser-Laden Moon, Enceladus,
土星美丽的光环 Saturn's sensational rings,
木星大红斑 Jupiter's Great Red Spot,
最大的火山 火星奥林帕斯山 the largest volcano, Olympus Mons,
神秘的小行星带 the mysterious Asteroid Belt
以及炙热的太阳 And our stormy sun.
这些难忘的冒险中 But this unforgettable adventure
可不能缺了我们家园地球的身影 would not have been possible without our home planet, Earth,
这里一切皆有可能 A place with endless possibilities.
上个世纪 Over the last century,
人类已经冶炼出金属以及其他材料 humans have manufactured metals and other materials
用于建造宇宙飞船 from our planet's crust to build spacecraft.
先进技术使得我们 Our technology will enable us to blast off
可以探索太空奇观 to explore the other wonders.
我们惊叹于这些遥远的奇观 We'll be able to marvel at these distant domains,
更意识到自己是广袤宇宙一部分 and realize that we're part of a much wider cosmic world.
巍巍奇观 发人深省 These awe-inspiring phenomena allow us to ponder
我们究竟是谁 又从何而来 who are we and why we are here.
这片壮丽天地 In this magnificent place,
便是宇宙 we call the Universe.
宇 宙
谢谢观赏