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形似彗星的双子星

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SciShow Space is supported by Brilliant.org, a problem-solving website that teaches you how to think like a scientist.

太空科学秀是由Brilliant.org赞助播出的,后者是一个解决问题的网站,教你如何像科学家一样思考。
You can probably agree that humans... we love to classify things.
你可能同意我们人类喜欢分类,
Whether we're sorting animals into species or arguing over whether Pluto is a planet,
不管是把动物分成各个物种还是争论冥王星是不是行星,
it's almost impossible for us to resist sorting the stuff around us.
我们都抵抗不了把周围的事物分类。
Unfortunately, nature doesn't care what we like to do, and we keep making discoveries that defy our precious categories,
不幸的是,大自然不关心我们喜欢做什么,我们不断发现自己宝贵的分类被否认,
like an object in the asteroid belt called... this. Or 288P for short.
比如小行星带中一个简称288P的天体就打破了分类。
In a paper published last week in the journal Nature,
在上周发表于《自然》杂志的一篇论文中,
a team of astronomers reported that 288P is a binary asteroid that kind acts like a comet.
一个天文学家团队报告说288P是一颗类似彗星的双子小行星。
Astronomers discovered the object in 2006, hanging out in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
天文学家在2006年发现了它,它在火星和木星间的主小行星带中运行。
At the time, it looked like all the other asteroids, basically, a small, rocky space potato, so that's what we called it.
那时它和其他小行星一样,基本上是一个小而多岩的太空土豆,我们都是这么称呼它的。
But then, in 2011, when the object neared the sun, scientists saw it producing a temporary tail and halo,
但随后的2011年,288P接近太阳,科学家发现它产生了一个暂时的尾巴和光晕,
or coma of dust and water, which meant this so-called asteroid was also acting like a comet.
或是由水和灰尘组成的彗发,意味着这颗所谓的小行星形似彗星。
By itself, this isn't that weird.
但对它而言,这不奇怪。
There are actually enough main belt asteroids that sometimes act like comets.
实际上,很多主带小行星有时表现得像彗星。
That's surprise! We have a category for them: main belt comets.
那就令人惊讶了!我们对它有个分类叫主带彗星。
But now, we've discovered that this object is even stranger.
但现在我们发现288P更为奇怪。
In the latest paper, images from the Hubble Space Telescope revealed that it isn't one kilometer-sized space rock,
在最新的论文中,哈勃太空望远镜的图像显示它不是一千米大小的太空岩石,
but two, orbiting one another about 100 kilometers apart.
而是两个相距约100公里、相互旋转的岩石。
Binary asteroids are pretty common, but 288P is the first binary and main belt comet.
双子小行星很普通,但288P既是第一颗双子星,又是第一颗主带彗星。
It also combines features we've seen in other binaries that make it unique:
它也包含我们见过的其他双子星的特征,这使它更奇特:
The two rocks are similar in size, the separation between them is pretty far,
这两颗岩石大小类似,彼此距离遥远,
and the shape of their orbit around each other is highly elliptical.
它们相互旋转的形状非常类似椭圆。
Now, 288P should have run out of water ice a long time ago,
288P本应该很早以前就用光水冰了,
so it shouldn't be able to create that comet-like tail anymore.
所以它本不能创造出彗星一样的尾巴。

288P.jpg

But since it can, that suggests it became a binary very recently, at least in astronomical terms, about 5000 years ago.

但它做到了,这表明它是最近才成为双子星的,至少从天文学的角度来说是在5000年前。
Previous work estimates that 288P existed as a single space rock for millions of years,
之前的研究估计,288P作为一个太空岩石单独存在了数百万年,
but it became a binary thanks to rotational fission, or from breaking apart from spinning too fast.
但它能成为双子星多亏了旋转裂变,即因为旋转太快而裂开。
Then, the newly-exposed water ice vaporized and pushed the two rock fragments in opposing directions.
然后,新暴露的水冰蒸发,把两个岩石碎片推到相反的方向。
288P is the first of its kind, so it's difficult to tell how many objects like it are in our solar system.
288P是第一个这样的物体,所以很难判断我们的太阳系中有多少类似的物体。
And since the pieces were relatively small and far apart, others will be hard to spot if they exist.
因为碎片相对较小,离得又远,其他人很难发现它们的存在。
But understanding objects like it could help astronomers explain how the solar system evolved.
但了解这样的天体可以帮天文学家解释太阳系是如何进化的。
And since research suggests icy asteroids played an important part in bringing water to Earth,
由于研究表明结冰的小行星在将水带入地球方面发挥了重要作用,
it may help us figure out how so much water got here, too.
它也可以帮助我们弄清楚这么多水是如何到这里的。
Meanwhile, the European Space Agency is studying what happens when water leaves Earth.
与此同时,欧洲航天局正在研究水离开地球后会发生什么。
By which I mean sacks of water, which, I'm talking about humans, just people.
我想说水袋的时候,想到了我们人类。
People are bags of water.
人就是水袋。
Right now in a clinic in France, 10 volunteers are staying in bed for 60 days to see
在法国的一家诊所里,10名志愿者正待在床上,他们要待60天,
if a cocktail of antioxidants and vitamins can fight the negative side effects of living in space.
来看看鸡尾酒中的抗氧化剂和维生素能否抵抗住太空中的负面影响。
Living in orbit has its perks, but since astronauts' bodies aren't constantly fighting gravity,
生活在轨道上有它的好处,但因为宇航员的身体不会持续对抗重力,
the weightlessness they experience causes a lot of physical side effects.
所以他们所经历的失重会产生许多身体副作用。
Among other things, their bones grow brittle, their muscles decay, their bodily fluids get redistributed,
除了别的以外,他们的骨头变脆、肌肉萎缩、体液被重新分配,
resulting in what's called, no joke, "puffy-head, bird-legs" syndrome.
这会导致“大头——鸟腿”综合征,绝不是玩笑。
Learning how to fight those effects is especially important for long-term space missions, like for when we send people to Mars,
学习如何对抗这些副作用对于长期的太空任务,比如我们派人去火星尤其重要,
because once we get there, we'll need the strength to walk around, and do science stuff.
因为一旦我们到达那里,就需要力量走路和做科学研究。
Instead of spending oodles of money launching more people into space, or only studying the few astronauts that go there,
研究人员没有花大量的钱把更多的人送入太空,或者只研究去那里的宇航员,
researchers mimic microgravity here on Earth using special bed rest studies.
而是利用特殊的卧床休息研究来模拟微重力。
The subjects' beds are tilted down 6 degrees so that their heads are lower than their feet,
受试者的床倾斜6度,使他们头的位置低于脚的位置,
which simulates how fluids get redistributed in space.
以此模拟液体在太空中的重新分配。
And once they lie down, they have to keep at least one shoulder touching the bed at all times.
受试者一旦躺下,至少要有一个肩始终挨着床。
This study will conduct 15 experiments to measure things like vital signs or the participants' mood.
这次研究将会实施15个实验来测量生命体征、受试者情绪之类的事情。
Half of the subjects will take a mixture of antioxidants and vitamins to supplement their nutrition plan,
一半的受试者将服用抗氧化剂和维生素的混合物来补充他们的营养,
and the other will serve as the control group and won't take any supplements.
另一半作为对照组不服任何补充剂。
After the 60 days are up, they'll all undergo the same rehabilitation program.
60天结束后,他们都会接受同样的康复计划,
that ESA astronauts do after returning to Earth to restore some of that lost bone and muscle strength.
这是欧洲航天局的宇航员回到地球后,用于恢复损失的骨头和肌肉力量的计划。
Now, lying in bed for two months eating and watching Netflix might sound like an easy way to spend your time, but no.
现在,在床上躺两个月、吃东西和看“奈飞”(Netflix),听起来很简单,但不是这样的。
You've got to put your whole life on hold,
你的整个生命活动都被限制,
eat a strictly-controlled diet, and be okay with your body getting weaker.
吃严格控制的饮食,接受身体变虚弱。
You'd also have no privacy, be subjected to constant medical tests,
你将不会有隐私,要持续接受药物测试,
and would have to do everything without sitting up, everything.
不能坐起来做各种事情。
What I'm saying is, you'd have to poop lying down for two months.
我想说的是,你两个月在床上大便。
This won't be the last bed rest study the ESA does,
这不会是欧洲航天局做的最后一次卧床休息研究,
next August, they'll see if making artificial gravity could counteract space's side effects,
来年八月,他们将会看到人造重力是否能抵消太空的副作用,
but it will teach us a lot about how our bodies work in space.
但它将教会我们很多关于身体如何在太空中工作的知识。
One way or another, volunteering for a bed rest study is no joke,
不管怎样,志愿者做一个卧床休息的研究可不是闹着玩的,
but if we're ever living in space, we'll have those bed-poopers to thank.
但如果我们住到太空,就要感谢这些受试者了。
So maybe it's worth it.
所以或许它是值得的。
But even if bed rest studies aren't for you,
但即使卧床休息研究不适合你,
there are still plenty of ways you can get involved in space exploration and astronomy.
你也有很多方法参与到太空探索和天文学中。
Brilliant.org is a problem-solving website that teaches you how to think like a scientist.
Brilliant.org是一个解决问题的网站,教你如何像科学家一样思考。
Brilliant presents short, conceptual quizzes that supplement other instructional styles.
Brilliant”提供简短、概念性的测验,补充其他教学风格。
A great way to retain what you've seen on SciShow Space is by actively solving problems on Brilliant.
要想记住你在“科学秀”上看到的东西,一个好方法是积极解决“Brilliant”上的问题。
Each course guides you through easy and challenging problems with interactive graphics and questions.
每门课程都通过简单且有挑战性的交互式图形和问题来指导你。
This course called Gravitational Physics has a great refresher on the Keplerian orbits.
这门课叫做引力物理学,对开普勒轨道起到很好的复习作用。
I worked through a couple questions to learn the simple criteria to tell when a comet will become trapped in an orbit around the sun.
我通过几个问题来学习简单的标准,以此来判断彗星何时会被困在绕太阳的轨道上。
If you like getting smart, you'll like these problems on Brilliant.
如果你喜欢变聪明,你一定喜欢这些“Brilliant”上的问题。
To support SciShow Space and learn more about Brilliant, go to brilliant.org/SciShowSpace and sign up for free.
想要了解太空科学秀和“Brilliant”,就登陆brilliant.org/SciShowSpace免费注册吧。
The first 200 people will get 20% off the annual Premium subscription.
前200名订阅一整年,可以享8折优惠。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
precious ['preʃəs]

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adj. 宝贵的,珍贵的,矫揉造作的
adv.

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astronomical [.æstrə'nɔmikəl]

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adj. 天文学的,巨大的

 
figure ['figə]

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n. 图形,数字,形状; 人物,外形,体型
v

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measure ['meʒə]

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n. 措施,办法,量度,尺寸
v. 测量,量

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defy [di'fai]

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vt. 反抗,藐视,挑衅

 
negative ['negətiv]

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adj. 否定的,负的,消极的
n. 底片,负

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nutrition [nju:'triʃən]

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n. 营养

 
control [kən'trəul]

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n. 克制,控制,管制,操作装置
vt. 控制

 
rehabilitation [.ri:hə.bili'teiʃən]

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n. 复原

 
coma ['kəumə]

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n. 昏迷

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