A stellar history of modern astronomy | Emily Levesque

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Camille Martínez

翻译人员: Yanran Qsi 校对人员: Reem Bsheer

1987年，一名叫奥斯卡-杜哈尔德的 智利工程师

成为地球上唯一凭裸眼

In 1987, a Chilean engineer named Oscar Duhalde

就发现罕见天文现象的人。

became the only living person on the planet

奥斯卡是智利拉斯坎帕纳斯天文台的 望远镜操作员

to discover a rare astronomical event

一群天文学家在天文台里做研究 奥斯卡跟他们一起工作，

with the naked eye.

Oscar was a telescope operator at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.

负责操作望远镜 并处理他们所记录的数据。

He worked with the astronomers who came to the observatory for their research,

2月24日的晚上

奥斯卡到天文台外面休息

running the telescopes and processing the data that they took.

他抬头遥望夜空， 随后看见了这个。

这是大麦哲伦星云

On the night of February 24th,

Oscar stepped outside for a break

它是一个离我们的银河系 非常近的卫星星系、

and looked up at the night sky and he saw this.

但是在那个二月的晚上，

奥斯卡发现这个星系有些不同。

This is the Large Magellanic Cloud.

It's a satellite galaxy very near our own Milky Way.

它看起来跟这张图片不一样

更像这张

But on that February night,

你们发现了吗？

Oscar noticed that something was different about this galaxy.

（笑声）

在这个星系的一角， 出现了一个微小光点。

It didn't quite look like this.

It looked like this.

要解释奥斯卡的这个发现多么惊奇，

Did you see it?

(Laughter)

A small point of light had appeared in one corner of this galaxy.

我们需要把图片放大一点

看看智利南部的天空是什么样。

大麦哲伦星云就在这张图片正中

So to explain how amazing it is that Oscar noticed this,

we need to zoom out a bit

虽然它的名字有个大字， 但其实它很小。

and look at what the southern sky in Chile looks like.

想象一下要注意到一个新光点

The Large Magellanic Cloud is right in the middle of that image,

出现在这个星系里。

but despite its name, it's really small.

奥斯卡之所以能做到

是因为大麦哲伦星云早已深刻他脑海。

Imagine trying to notice one single new point of light

appearing in that galaxy.

他已分析从这一星系收集而来的数据多年

Oscar was able to do this

夜复一夜钻研观察这片星云

because he had the Large Magellanic Cloud essentially memorized.

而且是亲手做

因为奥斯卡开始了在天文学方面的工作

He had worked on data from this galaxy for years,

是在我们还在把宇宙中收集来的数据

poring over night after night of observations

and doing it by hand,

存储在脆弱的玻璃片上时。

because Oscar had begun his work in astronomy

我知道今天的主题是“月球探测”

at a time when we stored all of the data that we observed from the universe

作为一名天文学家 我觉得可以开启这次演讲 愉快地 也是字面意义上地

on fragile sheets of glass.

所以 这就是一次对月球的探测。

（笑声）

I know that today's theme is "Moonshot,"

我们都很熟悉这一景象 但这张特别的图像

and as an astronomer, I figured I could start us out nice and literally,

有几个与平常不太一样的地方。

so here's a shot of the Moon.

第一，我反转了颜色

(Laughter)

它原本是这个样子。

It's a familiar sight to all of us, but there's a couple of unusual things

如果把图片缩小 我们能看到这张照片是如何拍摄的。

about this particular image.

For one, I flipped the colors.

这是在1894年拍下的一张月球照片，

It originally looked like this.

在一个玻璃感光片上。

And if we zoom out, we can see how this picture was taken.

这是一项天文学家使用了数十年

This is a photograph of the Moon taken in 1894

来储存我们在夜空中的观察所得的技术。

on a glass photographic plate.

This was the technology that astronomers had available for decades

我带来一个玻璃底片样板给你们看

to store the observations that we took of the night sky.

这看起来的确是一种存储数据的安全方法

I've actually brought an example of a glass plate to show you.

这些底片非常难处理

底片的一面被一种经曝光就会变暗的

So this looks like a real secure way to store our data.

化学乳剂所处理。

These photographic plates were incredibly difficult to work with.

这就是底片为何能储存所摄照片的原因

One side of them was treated with a chemical emulsion that would darken

但这意味着天文学家必须在暗室中处理这些底片。

when it was exposed to light.

This is how these plates were able to store the pictures that they took,

底片要剪裁成特定的尺寸

这样它们才能被装进望远镜的照相机里。

but it meant that astronomers had to work with these plates in darkness.

因此 天文学家会用锋利的切割工具

The plates had to be cut to a specific size

把这些小小的玻璃片切成薄片

so that they could fit into the camera of a telescope.

都在暗室里进行。

So astronomers would take razor-sharp cutting tools

天文学家也有各种各样的小花招

and slice these tiny pieces of glass,

让底片更快地对光作出反应。

他们会烘烤或冷冻这些底片 把它们泡在氨水里

all in the dark.

Astronomers also had all kinds of tricks that they would use

或者把柠檬汁涂在表面--

to make the plates respond to light a little faster.

都在暗室里进行。

然后 天文学家们会把这些小心处理过的底片

They would bake them or freeze them, they would soak them in ammonia,

放进望远镜里

并把它们装进相机里。

or they'd coat them with lemon juice --

用化学乳剂处理的那一面必须向外

all in the dark.

Then astronomers would take these carefully designed plates

这样才能采光。

to the telescope

但在暗室里 几乎不可能分清哪面才是被处理过的

and load them into the camera.

They had to be loaded with that chemically emulsified side pointed out

于是天文学家养成用底片轻拍嘴唇的习惯

so that the light would hit it.

But in the dark, it was almost impossible to tell which side was the right one.

或者说是舔一舔底片 来看它哪边比较黏

因此哪边就涂着乳剂

Astronomers got into the habit of tapping a plate to their lips,

在他们真正将它放进相机里时

or, like, licking it, to see which side of the plate was sticky

还面临最后一个挑战。

在我身后的这张照片上

and therefore coated with the emulsion.

你可以看到 这位天文学家拿着的底片

And then when they actually put it into the camera,

微微有些弯曲。

there was one last challenge.

有时候需要弯折底片 来适应望远镜里的相机

In this picture behind me,

you can see that the plate the astronomer is holding

所以你会将这个被小心剪切、精心处理、非常脆弱的底片

is very slightly curved.

Sometimes plates had to be bent to fit into a telescope's camera,

拿到望远镜前 然后你就这样

so you would take this carefully cut, meticulously treated, very babied plate

所以有时候能成功 有时候会把它们弄断。

但通常能都将底片成功放入望远镜背面的

up to a telescope, and then you'd just ...

照相机里。

然后你可以将那座望远镜

So sometimes that would work. Sometimes they would snap.

指向天空中你想研究的任何区域

But it would usually end with the [plate] loaded into a camera

打开快门

开始捕捉数据

on the back of a telescope.

现在 天文学家不能就此从相机旁一走了之

You could then point that telescope

to whatever patch of sky you wanted to study,

在他们做过这件事之后。

他们观察多久 就必须在相机边上待多久

open the camera shutter,

and begin capturing data.

这意味着天文学家们会进入

Now, astronomers couldn't just walk away from the camera

once they'd done this.

附在望远镜圆顶一侧的电梯里。

They had to stay with that camera for as long as they were observing.

他们将电梯高高升入建筑内部

This meant that astronomers would get into elevators

接着攀上望远镜的顶端

attached to the side of the telescope domes.

整夜待在那 冻得发抖

They would ride the elevator high into the building

从相机中将底片移进移出

and then climb into the top of the telescope

开闭快门

并将望远镜指向天空中

and stay there all night shivering in the cold,

他们想研究的任何区域。

transferring plates in and out of the camera,

这些天文学家与地面上的操作员合作

opening and closing the shutter

这些操作员会做些事情 例如转动圆顶本身

and pointing the telescope to whatever piece of sky

并确保望远镜的其余部分正常运行。

they wanted to study.

These astronomers worked with operators who would stay on the ground.

这个系统通常运转良好

但是事情偶尔会出错。

And they would do things like turn the dome itself

曾有位天文学家 正观察一张非常复杂的底片

and make sure the rest of the telescope was running.

就在这个天文台 加利福尼亚的利克天文台

It was a system that usually worked pretty well,

but once in a while, things would go wrong.

他就坐在那个黄色结构的顶端

There was an astronomer observing a very complicated plate

你能看到它位于右下角的圆顶内部

at this observatory, the Lick Observatory here in California.

他已经将一张玻璃底片在天空中曝光了几小时

He was sitting at the top of that yellow structure

在寒冷中蹲着

that you see in the dome on the lower right,

并保持望远镜完美的朝向

and he'd been exposing one glass plate to the sky for hours,

以使他能够拍摄宇宙的珍贵照片。

某一时刻他的操作员走进圆顶

crouched down and cold

来检查下他的情况 看看事情运转得如何。

and keeping the telescope perfectly pointed

so he could take this precious picture of the universe.

就在这名操作员跨过圆顶的门时

His operator wandered into the dome at one point

他蹭到了墙 拨转了圆顶的电灯开关。

just to check on him and see how things were going.

And as the operator stepped through the door of the dome,

之后灯就亮了 光涌入望远镜

he brushed against the wall and flipped the light switch in the dome.

毁了底片

随后望远镜顶端传来一声咆哮。

这名天文学家开始怒吼 咒骂 说道：

So the lights came blazing on and flooding into the telescope

“你做了什么？你把这么多心血都毁了！

and ruining the plate,

and there was then this howl from the top of the telescope.

我要从望远镜这下去杀了你！”

然后他开始转动望远镜

The astronomer started yelling and cursing and saying,

"What have you done? You've destroyed so much hard work.

很迅速地--

（笑声）

指向电梯

I'm going to get down from this telescope and kill you!"

以使他能够爬下来 将威胁付诸实施。

So he then starts moving the telescope

此刻 随着他接近电梯

about this fast --

电梯突然开始转离他

(Laughter)

toward the elevator

因为要记得 天文学家能控制望远镜

so that he can climb down and make good on his threats.

但操作员能控制圆顶。

Now, as he's approaching the elevator,

（笑声）

the elevator then suddenly starts spinning away from him,

这个操作员抬头看着 想着

“他看起来真气疯了。我可不希望让他下来， 直到他没那么想杀了我”

because remember, the astronomer can control the telescope,

but the operator can control the dome.

所以结局就是这场可笑的慢动作追逐战

(Laughter)

And the operator is looking up, going,

灯光亮着 圆顶不停旋转。

"He seems really mad. I might not want to let him down until he's less murdery."

它一定看起来完全荒谬

So the end is this absurd slow-motion game of chase

当我告诉人们 要用感光底片来研究宇宙

with the lights on and the dome just spinning around and around.

它听起来确实不可思议。

是有点荒诞

It must have looked completely ridiculous.

用似乎很原始的工具来研究宇宙

When I tell people about using photographic plates to study the universe,

并说什么 我们要把这个丢进柠檬汁里 舔一舔

it does sound ridiculous.

贴在望远镜上 在它旁边瑟索几个小时

It's a little absurd

to take what seems like a primitive tool for studying the universe

就解决了宇宙的谜团。

and say, well, we're going to dunk this in lemon juice, lick it,

但其实 这正是我们所做的

stick it in the telescope, shiver next to it for a few hours

我之前给你们展示过一张

一名天文学家待在望远镜顶端的照片。

and solve the mysteries of the cosmos.

我没告诉你们的是 这名天文学家是谁

In reality, though, that's exactly what we did.

这是艾德温·哈勃

I showed you this picture before

of an astronomer perched at the top of a telescope.

哈勃通过使用底片

What I didn't tell you is who this astronomer is.

完全改变了我们

This is Edwin Hubble,

对宇宙之大及它如何运行的理解。

and Hubble used photographic plates

这是哈勃早在1923年所摄的底片

to completely change our entire understanding

当时被称作仙女座星云的一个物体。

of how big the universe is and how it works.

我能看到 图像右上方

This is a plate that Hubble took back in 1923

哈勃用一个亮红色单词 “Var!” 给一颗恒星做了标注

of an object known at the time as the Andromeda Nebula.

他甚至在它旁边添了个感叹号。

You can see in the upper right of that image

“Var” 表示 “可变的[Variable]”

that Hubble has labeled a star with this bright red word, "Var!"

哈勃在仙女座星云中发现了一颗变星。

He's even put an exclamation point next to it.

它的光度会改变

随时间的作用而变亮变暗。

"Var" here stands for "variable."

哈勃知道 如果他研究出那颗变星如何随时间变化

Hubble had found a variable star in the Andromeda Nebula.

他就能测量距仙女座星云的距离

Its brightness changed,

getting brighter and dimmer as a function of time.

他的研究结果令人震惊。

Hubble knew that if he studied how that star changed with time,

他发现实际上这不是一座星云

he could measure the distance to the Andromeda Nebula,

这是仙女座星系

and when he did, the results were astonishing.

在银河系之外250万光年的

He discovered that this was not, in fact, a nebula.

一座完全独立的星系。

这是在我们之外

This was the Andromeda Galaxy,

宇宙中存在其它星系的首张证据

an entire separate galaxy two and a half million light years

它彻底改变了我们对宇宙之大

beyond our own Milky Way.

This was the first evidence of other galaxies

和它容纳着什么的理解。

existing in the universe beyond our own,

所以现在来看看望远镜在今天能够做些什么

and it totally changed our understanding of how big the universe was

这是当今拍摄的仙女座星系的照片

and what it contained.

它看起来就像那种

我们都喜欢看的望远镜照片：

So now we can look at what telescopes can do today.

颜色丰富 充满细节 非常美丽。

This is a modern-day picture of the Andromeda Galaxy,

如今我们以数字形式存储这样的数据

and it looks just like the telescope photos

而用这样的望远镜拍摄照片。

that we all love to enjoy and look at:

it's colorful and detailed and beautiful.

这是我 站在拥有26英尺宽镜面的

We now store data like this digitally,

望远镜之下。

and we take it using telescopes like these.

更大的望远镜镜面能使我们拍到更锐化、更清晰的图像

So this is me standing underneath a telescope with a mirror

也让我们更容易

that's 26 feet across.

从遥远的暗弱物体处采集光源。

Bigger telescope mirrors let us take sharper and clearer images,

实际上 更大的望远镜让我们在宇宙中

and they also make it easier for us to gather light

看得更远

看着我们从前不可能见到的事物。

from faint and faraway objects.

So a bigger telescope literally gives us a farther reach

在我们进行观察时

我们也不再被束缚在望远镜旁。

into the universe,

这是我最初在亚利桑那一座望远镜址的

looking at things that we couldn't have seen before.

观察之行。

We're also no longer strapped to the telescope

我正打开那座望远镜的圆顶

但并非在望远镜顶端操作。

when we do our observations.

This is me during my very first observing trip

我坐在圆顶旁的一个房间内

at a telescope in Arizona.

舒适温暖 而且位于地面

I'm opening the dome of the telescope,

远距离操控望远镜。

but I'm not on top of the telescope to do it.

“远距离”可以是极其远

I'm sitting in a room off to the side of the dome,

有时候我们甚至压根不需要去望远镜那里

nice and warm and on the ground

这是在新墨西哥 我研究时一直在用的一座望远镜

and running the telescope from afar.

"Afar" can get pretty extreme.

但我能用笔记本电脑控制它

Sometimes we don't even need to go to telescopes anymore.

我可以坐在西雅图的沙发上

从笔记本电脑发出命令

This is a telescope in New Mexico that I use for my research all the time,

告诉望远镜该指向哪里

but I can run it with my laptop.

何时打开或关闭快门

I can sit on my couch in Seattle

我要它拍摄宇宙的哪些照片--

and send commands from my laptop

这些命令全部来自许多州之外的地方。

telling the telescope where to point,

我们操作望远镜的方式确实改变了

when to open and close the shutter,

what pictures I want it to take of the universe --

但我们尝试回答的关于宇宙的问题

all from many states away.

并未改变。

So the way that we operate telescopes has really changed,

重要问题之一依然关注事物在夜空中如何变化

but the questions we're trying to answer about the universe

而那变化的星空正是奥斯卡·杜哈尔德的所见

have remained the same.

One of the big questions still focuses on how things change in the night sky,

在他于1987年用裸眼遥望夜空时。

他观察到的出现在大麦哲伦星云中的光点

and the changing sky was exactly what Oscar Duhalde saw

when he looked up with the naked eye in 1987.

结果表明是一颗超新星。

这是400年来从地球上

This point of light that he saw appearing in the Large Magellanic Cloud

首颗用裸眼观察到的超新星。

turned out to be a supernova.

这很酷

This was the first naked-eye supernova

但你们当中有些人或许会看着这张图像 觉得

seen from Earth in more than 400 years.

“真的吗？我听说过超新星。

它们应该很壮观啊

而这个只不过是天上一个点而已。”

This is pretty cool,

but a couple of you might be looking at this image and going,

你听到的关于超新星的描述是真实的

"Really? I've heard of supernovae.

听起来确实壮观。

They're supposed to be spectacular,

它们自巨大、宏伟的恒星之死中诞生

and this is just like a dot that appeared in the sky."

It's true that when you hear the description of what a supernova is

向宇宙中射出能量

it sounds really epic.

将物质吐进宇宙空间

They're these brilliant, explosive deaths of enormous, massive stars,

它们听起来是可以注意到的

听起来真的很明显。

and they shoot energy out into the universe,

关于超新星样貌的这一整个错觉

and they spew material out into space,

与它的位置有关。

and they sound, like, noticeable.

若一颗恒星作为超新星而死亡

They sound really obvious.

就在我们的后院银河系中 几百光年外--

The whole trick about what a supernova looks like

天文学角度而言的“后院”--

has to do with where it is.

它会极其明亮。

If a star were to die as a supernova

我们能在夜晚看到它

right in our backyard in the Milky Way, a few hundred light years away --

如月亮般明亮。

"backyard" in astronomy terms --

我们能通过它的光而判断

it would be incredibly bright.

每个人都会用手机给这颗超新星拍照

We would be able to see that supernova at night

它会成为全球新闻的头条

as bright as the Moon.

We would be able to read by its light.

它无疑会成为热门话题。

超新星如此之近 是不可能错过它的

Everybody would wind up taking photos of this supernova on their phone.

It would be on headlines all over the world.

但奥斯卡观察到的超新星

It would for sure get a hashtag.

并非在几百光年外。

It would be impossible to miss that a supernova had happened so nearby.

这颗超新星诞生在170,000光年外

But the supernova that Oscar observed

didn't happen a few hundred light years away.

这就是为什么 它表现为一个小点

而不是一场壮丽的爆炸。

This supernova happened 170,000 light years away,

这依旧非常激动人心

它仍可被肉眼看到

which is why instead of an epic explosion,

而且是自望远镜发明以来

it appears as a little dot.

最壮观的一颗超新星。

This was still unbelievably exciting.

但它让你更好地理解 大多数超新星看起来是什么样

It was still visible with the naked eye,

and the most spectacular supernova

如今我们仍旧一直在发现并研究超新星

that we've seen since the invention of the telescope.

但我们是用强大的望远镜 在遥远星系中进行的。

But it gives you a better sense of what most supernovae look like.

我们给一座星系多次拍照

We still discover and study supernovae all the time today,

并寻找其中变化了的东西。

but we do it in distant galaxies using powerful telescopes.

我们寻找那出现的针尖大小的光点

它告诉我们 一颗恒星已经死亡。

We photograph the galaxy multiple times,

我们能从超新星中

and we look for something that's changed.

学到关于宇宙和恒星的许多东西

We look for that little pinprick of light appearing

但我们不想凭机会来研究它们

that tells us that a star has died.

我们不想依靠正好在对的时间看向夜空

We can learn a great deal about the universe and about stars

from supernovae,

或将望远镜指向正确的星系。

but we don't want to leave studying them up to chance.

我们理想中希望的是一座望远镜

We don't want to count on happening to look up at the right time

它能在计算上系统地

or pointing our telescope at the right galaxy.

做奥斯卡用大脑所进行的工作。

What we ideally want is a telescope

奥斯卡能发现这颗超新星

that can systematically and computationally

是因为他牢记那座星系的样貌。

do what Oscar did with his mind.

通过数据信息

我们能有效记忆我们观测的每一片天空

Oscar was able to discover this supernova

because he had that galaxy memorized.

比较新旧观测数据

寻找任何变化了的东西。

With digital data,

we can effectively memorize every piece of the sky that we look at,

这是智利的

compare old and new observations

薇拉-鲁宾天文台。

现在 当我3月再去参观的时候 它还在修建中

and look for anything that's changed.

但这个望远镜明年将开始用来观测了

This is the Vera Rubin Observatory

in Chile.

当开始这么做的时候

它将执行一个简单却雄伟的观测计划

Now, when I visited it back in March, it was still under construction.

But this telescope will begin observations next year,

这个望远镜将每隔几天就拍下

and when it does,

it will carry out a simple but spectacular observing program.

南方这一整片天空

一次又一次

在提前设置好的模式下

This telescope will photograph the entire southern sky

工作10年。

附属天文台的电脑和算法

every few days

over and over,

将比对同一片天空的两张照片

following a preset pattern

for 10 years.

Computers and algorithms affiliated with the observatory

找出更亮的或更暗的东西

比如一颗变星

will then compare every pair of images taken of the same patch of sky,

或者找出任何突然出现的东西

比如一颗超新星。

如今 我们每年能发现一千颗超新星

looking for anything that's gotten brighter or dimmer,

like a variable star,

or looking for anything that's appeared,

鲁宾天文台则能在每晚发现

like a supernova.

Right now, we discover about a thousand supernovae every year.

一千颗超新星。

它将急剧改变天文学的面貌

The Rubin Observatory will be capable of discovering a thousand supernovae

并改变我们研究天上变化的事物的方式

它将完成所有这些

every night.

It's going to dramatically change the face of astronomy

在很大程度上完全不需要人类干预的情况下。

它会遵循提前设置的模式

and of how we study things that change in the sky,

以计算方式找到任何改变或显现的东西。

and it will do all of this

largely without much human intervention at all.

起初这听起来可能有点悲哀

It will follow that preset pattern

这种我们正让人们远离观星的想法。

and computationally find anything that's changed or appeared.

但实际上

我们作为天文学家的角色并未消失

This might sound a little sad at first,

只是转移了。

this idea that we're removing people from stargazing.

我们已经见过我们的工作方式 是如何改变的

But in reality,

我们从待在望远镜顶端

our role as astronomers isn't disappearing,

到坐在它们旁边

it's just moving.

到甚至没必要去望远镜处 或给它们下命令

We've already seen how we do our jobs change.

天文学家们仍旧

We've gone from perching atop telescopes

在追问问题或处理数据上闪耀发光。

to sitting next to them

to not even needing to go to them or send them commands at all.

收集数据只是第一步

分析数据才是我们真正应用自身对宇宙的知识的地方

Where astronomers still shine

is in asking questions and working with the data.

人类的好奇心促使我们提出这样的问题：

Gathering data is only the first step.

宇宙有多大？它如何开始？

Analyzing it is where we can really apply what we know about the universe.

如何终结？我们是孤独的存在吗？

这是人类仍然能赋予天文学的力量

Human curiosity is what makes us ask questions like:

How big is the universe? How did it begin?

将类似这样的望远镜的能力

How's it going to end? And are we alone?

与我们能进行的像这样的观测进行比较。

So this is the power that humans are still able to bring to astronomy.

我们用玻璃底片发现了不可思议的东西

So compare the capabilities of a telescope like this

但如今发现看起来不同了

with the observations that we were able to take like this.

我们研究天文学的方式似乎不同了。

We discovered amazing things with glass plates,

不变的是人类好奇心的种子

but discovery looks different today.

如果我们能驾驭未来科技的力量

The way we do astronomy looks different today.

将其与我们必须抬头望天的强烈欲望相结合

What hasn't changed is that seed of human curiosity.

追问我们在那看到了什么

If we can harness the power of tomorrow's technology

我们将整装待发 去学习一些关于宇宙的

and combine it with this drive that we all have to look up

令人惊奇的新事物。

谢谢。

and to ask questions about what we see there,

（掌声）

we'll be ready to learn some incredible new things

about the universe.

Thank you.

(Applause)