Is space trying to kill us? - Ron Shaneyfelt

太空会消灭我们人类吗？ - Ron Shaneyfelt

Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

翻译人员: Xiaoqing He 校对人员: Miranda Cao

There are still lots of things about space

太空上依然有很多

that we may never be able to answer,

我们可能永远无法解释的事物

like is time travel possible?

比如时光旅行是否可行？

Or are aliens living somewhere else in the Milky Way?

或者 银河系中是否有外星人？

But there is one thing I believe about space:

但我坚信一件事

Space is trying to kill me.

太空正试着杀死我

Space isn't out to get me personally.

太空不仅仅会杀死我

It's also trying to kill you and everybody else.

也会将你和其他人杀死

Think about it.

认真想一想

Space doesn't naturally have what we need to survive

太空上并无我们赖以生存的元素

when we travel there:

在那里

no air,

没有空气

it's too hot

非常热

or too cold,

又或者极寒

no ozone to protect us from those nasty UV rays, either.

也没有臭氧层为我们阻挡讨厌的紫外线

This all sounds bad,

这些听上去很糟透了

but what can space really do to me

但是如果我仅仅呆在地球上

if I stay on Earth?

太空又会对我有什么实际影响呢

What we need to understand is that objects in space

要知道 太空上的事物

can cause people to think their days are numbered,

让人们了解到他们的生命有限

even when there are events on Earth

即使在地球上 就有很多的事

that can hurt or kill us

可以将我们置之死地

before something from space does.

在太空将我们杀死之前

So, what are the odds that one of these objects

那么究竟来自太空的某个东西有多大几率

will really affect Earth

真的会影响地球

and you

你

and me

我

in our lifetime?

还有我们的一生？

Well, we can take what we know about the universe

好，我们可以凭借着我们对宇宙的了解

to try and figure that out.

试着弄明白。

You might have heard stories

你也许听说过这个故事

about asteroids hitting the Earth.

关于小行星撞击地球。

That would be pretty bad.

这听上去很糟糕

Scientists think asteroids might have killed off

科学家们认为小行星将

most of the dinosaurs.

消灭了大多数的恐龙

Sounds like something we should worry about, right?

这听上去像我们需要担心的，是吧？

Well, astronomers can now watch asteroids in space

那么，天文学家现在有能力观察在太空中的小行星

and see them coming using complex computer models

通过复杂的计算机模型

to predict the deadly rock's path.

来预测这些致命的岩石路径

For a while, the reported odds

曾有一段时间，报告称

that asteroid Apophis would strike Earth in 2036

阿波菲斯小行星在 2036 年袭击地球的

were once 1 in 625.

概率是六百二十五分之一

But, after updating their data,

但是，在他们最新的报告中

astronomers now say the chances are extremely low.

天文学家们称行星撞击地球的机率极低

Okay, what about the sun?

好吧，那太阳呢？

Hollywood movies like to pick on our sun

好莱坞电影往往喜欢以太阳作为题材

by showing Earth destroyed by solar flares

来暗示太阳耀斑将会摧毁地球

or the sun dying out,

又或者太阳正在消亡

which would cause Earth to freeze.

从而导致地球冻结

Astronomers predict our sun contains enough gas

天文学家推测我们的太阳包含足够的大气资源

to make energy for another 3 to 5 billion years.

足够供我们使用额外的3到5亿年

So, in 3 to 5 billion years,

所以，3 至 5 亿年之后，

if people still exist on Earth,

如果地球上仍然有人，

they'll have to deal with that.

他们将不得不面对这个难题

But today, well, we're safe.

但至少现在，我们很安全

Sometimes the sun does shoot flares at Earth,

尽管有时太阳会爆发太阳耀斑

but the magnetic fields surrounding our planet

但是环绕在我们地球周围的磁场

blocks most of that radiation.

将会阻挡大多数的辐射

The radiation that does get through

剩余的小部分辐射

creates things like the Aurora Borealis.

变成极光之类的东西

Gigantic solar flares can mess with our satellites

巨大的太阳耀斑可以摧毁我们的卫星

and electrical equipment,

和电气设备，

but the chances of it killing you are pretty slim.

但事实上你死于太阳耀斑的几率十分渺小

Okay, what about that supermassive black hole

好吧，那么在我们银河系内的

in the middle of our galaxy?

超大质量黑洞呢？

What happens to Earth,

又会对地球，

and us,

对我们产生什么影响呢

when it pulls us in?

当它试图吞噬我们的时候

After all, it is supermassive.

毕竟，它是超大的

Nope, not going to happen.

庆幸的是， 它不会发生

That's one big object that can't bother us.

它就是一个不会对我们有任何影响的大物体

How can we be so sure?

我们怎么能这么肯定？

Our solar system is on the edge of the Milky Way

我们的太阳系是银河系的边缘上

while the nearest supermassive black hole

即使是最近的超大质量黑洞

is about 26,000 light years from Earth.

距离地球也约有 26000 光年

That means we aren't on that black hole's menu.

这意味着我们不会黑洞的吞食名单上

So, you still think space objects are trying to kill you

所以，你是否依然认为不明太空物会消灭你？

even after what I've told you so far?

即使在我解释之后

I think I've even convinced myself

我觉得我甚至已经说服我自己

that odds are really good

那些太空危机

that space and the objects up there

发生的几率非常之小

won't kill me after all.

完全不足以杀死我们

But I'll probably keep looking up

但我依旧观察着

just to make sure nothing is headed my way.

只是想确定没有什么意外发生。