望远镜400年的故事（2009）

英国一名业余
IS AN INSTRUMENT THAT WAS MADE
天文学家制♥造♥的一台
FOR A BRITISH AMATEUR ASTRONOMER
名叫 克罗斯利
WHOSE NAME WAS CROSSLEY,
用于太空摄影艺术
WHICH WAS A PIONEERING TELESCOPE FOR THE THEN-NEW ART
的先驱型望远镜
OF PHOTOGRAPHING THE HEAVENS.
伽利略之后主要的进步
THE NEXT MAJOR ADVANCE AFTER GALILEO,
在我看来 无论如何
IN MY VIEW,ANYWAY,
是1839年摄影的发明
WAS THE INVENTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN 1839.
当达盖尔发明摄影的时候
WHEN IT WAS INVENTED BY DAGUERRE,
灵敏度还不足以拍摄亮度微弱的物体
IT WAS NOT SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO PHOTOGRAPH FAINT THINGS.
因此被天文学团体所忽略
SO IT WAS LARGELY IGNORED BY THE ASTRONOMICAL COMMUNITY.
直到美国的锥帕
BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL DRAPER IN THE UNITED STATES
和英国的阿莫斯林库门
AND ANSLEY COMMON IN ENGLAND
首先开始拍摄微光物体
FIRST STARTED TO PHOTOGRAPH FAINT THINGS
人们才意识到如果拍摄时
THAT THEY REALIZED THAT IF YOU MAKE
曝光足够久 星星可以被拍下
A LONG PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE, YOU CAN SEE STARS.
你能见到眼睛完全无法见到
YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING
的每一样东西
THAT THE EYE IS COMPLETELY INCAPABLE OF SEEING.
从这个角度出发 大约在1882 1883年,
AND FROM THAT POINT, ABOUT 1882,1883,
眼睛被从望远镜的目镜移开
THE EYE WAS DISPLACED FROM THE EYEPIECE OF THE TELESCOPE,
而照相机成为了我们透过探测器
AND PHOTOGRAPHY HAD TRANSFORMED ITSELF FROM A RECORDER
窥视不可见世界的记录者
OF A SCENE THAT WE CAN SEE TO A DETECTOR OF THE UNSEEN.
事实上 它使现代的天文学
IN FACT, IT'S MADE MODERN ASTRONOMY
和现代天体物理学成为可能
AND MODERN ASTROPHYSICS POSSIBLE.
解说：克罗斯利 反射镜技术
(narrator) THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE CROSSLEY REFLECTOR
带来天文学研究的革命
REVOLUTIONIZED ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH,
为虎克100英寸望远镜的出现和
PAVING THE WAY FOR THE HOOKER 100-INCH
爱德恩哈勃发现宇宙膨胀铺平了道路
AND EDWIN HUBBLE'S DISCOVERY OF THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE.
当哈勃发现螺旋星云
WHEN HUBBLE FOUND OUT THAT THE SPIRAL NEBULA
不属于我们的银河而是在更远
DO NOT BELONG TO OUR MILKY WAY BUT ARE MUCH FARTHER AWAY,
就清楚表明我们的宇宙之大
IT BECAME CLEAR THAT OUR UNIVERSE IS MUCH LARGER
远超过我们原本想象
THAN WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.
这真的是一个革命的发现
IT WAS REALLY A REVOLUTIONARY DETECTION,
就象哥白尼
LIKE THE DETECTION BY COPERNICUS
当年发现地球并非
WHEN HE FOUND OUT THAT THE EARTH
在宇宙的中心
IS NOT IN THE CENTER OF THE WORLD
而只是绕太阳运行的一颗小行星
BUT IS JUST A TINY PLANET ORBITING AROUND THE SUN,
今天我们同样发现银河系也只是
THE SAME WAY NOW OUR MILKY WAY TURNED OUT TO BE
由千百亿星球组成的
JUST ONE OUT OF A BILLION OF GALAXIES
十亿星系中的一员
EXISTING OF HUNDRED BILLIONS OF STARS.
解说：而哈勃掌握的一项更重大发现
(narrator) BUT AN EVEN GREATER DISCOVERY LAY WITHIN HUBBLE'S GRASP,
隐藏在星星发出的光芒里面
HIDDEN WITHIN STARLIGHT.
为揭露它的信息
TO REVEAL THAT INFORMATION,
天文学家将星光展开其不同颜色成分
ASTRONOMERS SPREAD STARLIGHT INTO ITS COMPONENT COLORS,
得到所谓的光谱
PRODUCING WHAT'S CALLED A SPECTRUM.
星星的光谱象是一道彩虹
A STAR'S SPECTRUM IS REALLY A RAINBOW.
正如我们平时看到的
SO JUST AS WE CAN SEE THE RAINBOW
阳光透过暴风雨的雨滴
FROM THE LIGHT OF THE SUN TRAVELING THROUGH
所出现的彩虹一般
THE RAINDROPS OF A STORM,
因此 同样道理 如果我们让星光
SO,TOO,IF WE TAKE THE LIGHT FROM A STAR
通过玻璃棱镜
AND PASS THAT THROUGH A GLASS PRISM,
就能将它的光分离为我们能研究的
THAT WILL SPLIT ITS LIGHT UP INTO THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS
美丽的彩色谱线
THAT WE CAN STUDY.
1940 年代 光度测定被电子学取代
BY THE 1940s,PHOTOMETRY BEING TAKEN OVER BY ELECTRONICS.
1950 年代 电子记录频谱的方法建立
BY THE 1950s,ELECTRONIC WAYS OF RECORDING SPECTRA WERE MADE,
因为你不只记录星体的图像
BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO YOU RECORD IMAGE OF THE STARS,
你还能记录它的光谱；
BUT YOU CAN RECORD SPECTRA;
你能记录被分开成不同颜色的光
YOU CAN RECORD THE LIGHT SPLIT UP INTO ITS INDIVIDUAL COLORS
并分♥析♥它们
TO ANALYZE THEM.
解说：星光谱包含许多秘密
(narrator) A STAR SPECTRUM CONTAINS MANY SECRETS,
例如星球的组成成份
SUCH AS WHAT THE STAR'S MADE OF,
表层下的温度和压力
THE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE THAT EXIST WITHIN ITS LAYERS,
以及它转动得多快
AND HOW FAST IT'S ROTATING.
当天文学家们研究 银河系中百万星球
WHEN ASTRONOMERS STUDY THE COMBINED LIGHT
发出的复合光时
FROM BILLONS OF STARS IN A GALAXY,
看到了一种朝光谱的
A SHIFT
红光端的移♥动♥
TOWARDS THE RED END OF ITS SPECTRUM.
星系的红移现象
THE RED SHIFT OF A GALAXY,
取决于它以多快的速度远离我们
WHICH IS RELATED TO HOW QUICKLY IT'S MOVING AWAY FROM US,
很容易量度
IS QUITE EASY TO MEASURE.
你刚拿到了一份星系光谱
YOU JUST GET A SPECTRUM OF THE GALAXY,
你发现了你认识的
AND YOU FIND PATTERNS
吸收和发射谱线图样
OF ABSORPTION AND EMISSION LINES THAT YOU RECOGNIZE.
现在 你测量一下
NOW,YOU MEASURE THE WAVELENGTHS
那些吸收和发射谱线
OF THOSE ABSORPTION AND EMISSION LINES,
你就看到了红移
AND THAT THEN GIVES YOU THE RED SHIFT.
解说：数百个星系的光谱显示
(narrator) THE SPECTRA OF HUNDREDS OF GALAXIES REVEALED
他们几乎都在离我们远去
THAT ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE MOVING AWAY FROM US.
当爱德恩哈勃比较这些光谱
WHEN EDWIN HUBBLE COMPARED THESE SPECTRA
与星系跟我们距离时
WITH THE GALAXIES' DISTANCES FROM US,
他发现远的星系
HE DISCOVERED THAT THE FARTHER GALAXIES
后退得比近的更快
ARE RECEDING MORE RAPIDLY THAN THOSE NEARBY.
做一个想象的实验
IMAGINE AS A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
我拿着一个橡皮圈
THAT I'VE GOT A BUNCH OF GALAXIES ATTACHED
上面附着一群星系
TO A RUBBER BAND
橡皮筋是他们之间伸展的空间
AND THE RUBBER IS THE SPACE STRETCHING BETWEEN THEM.
让我们在黄色的这里
AND LET'S SUPPOSE WE'RE IN THAT YELLOW ONE RIGHT THERE.
当我们扩张整个宇宙
AS WE EXPAND THE UNIVERSE,
确实所有的其它星系
IT'S TRUE THAT ALL THE OTHER GALAXIES ARE MOVING AWAY
从黄色的这里离我们远去
FROM THE YELLOW ONE,
因此它会被看作是中心
SO IT MIGHT THINK IT'S THE CENTER.
但是同样的也可以说
BUT THE SAME CAN BE SAID IF YOU WERE TO PUT YOURSELF
你可以是在其他任一个星系
IN ANY OTHER GALAXY.
它们都会看到其他星系
THEY ALL SEE THAT THE OTHER GALAXIES
正在远离它们
ARE MOVING AWAY FROM THEM.
因此事实上 没有特定的宇宙中心
SO IN FACT,THERE IS NO UNIQUE CENTER TO THE UNIVERSE.
所有的星系都认为它是中心
ALL THE GALAXIES THINK THAT THEY'RE AT THE CENTER.
现在 我们看到
NOW,ONE CAN ALSO SEE
通过这样一维的伸展
FROM THIS STRETCHING, ONE-DIMENSIONAL,
在假想的宇宙里
HYPOTHETICAL UNIVERSE
一个星系离另一个越远
THAT THE MORE DISTANT A GALAXY IS FROM ANOTHER GALAXY,
它就会后退得越快
THE FASTER IT'LL RECEDE AWAY.
现在 因为太空里的每一寸都在膨胀
NOW,THAT'S BECAUSE EVERY LITTLE BIT OF SPACE IS STRETCHING.
两个星系之间间隔越大
AND THE MORE SPACE THERE IS BETWEEN TWO GALAXIES,
它们相对彼此就后退得越快
THE FASTER THEY WILL RECEDE FROM ONE ANOTHER.
这是哈勃实际观察到的东西
THIS IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT HUBBLE OBSERVED.
他发现离我们远处的星系
HE FOUND THAT THE MORE DISTANT GALAXIES
比近处的更快的远离我们
ARE MOVING AWAY FROM US FASTER THAN THE NEARBY ONES.
它是宇宙统一膨胀的自然结果
IT'S A NATURAL CONSEQUENCE OF A UNIFORMLY EXPANDING SPACE.
宇宙中每个小小的点都在膨胀
EVERY LITTLE BIT OF SPACE EXPANDS.
因此两星系间相距越远
SO THE GREATER THE AMOUNT OF SPACE BETWEEN TWO GALAXIES,
相对彼此后退越快
THE FASTER THEY WILL RECEDE FROM ONE ANOTHER.
解说：哈勃的发现
(narrator) HUBBLE'S DISCOVERIES,
使他的仪器聚光能力的提升
MADE POSSIBLE BY THE INCREASED LIGHT-GATHERING POWER
成为可能
OF HIS INSTRUMENT,
驱使天文学家们建立一台更大的望远镜
DROVE ASTRONOMERS TO BUILD AN EVEN LARGER TELESCOPE.
帕洛玛 天文台的200英寸镜面
THE PALOMAR OBSERVATORY'S 200-INCH MIRROR
几乎达到了刚性镜面的上限
COMES CLOSE TO THE UPPER LIMIT FOR A RIGID MIRROR
且不会在自身重量之下变形
THAT DOES NOT DEFORM UNDER ITS OWN WEIGHT.
缺乏切合实际又划算的方法
WITHOUT A SENSIBLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE WAY
来支援更大的镜子
TO SUPPORT A MUCH LARGER MIRROR,
这台5米口径望远镜充当
THIS FIVE-METER TELESCOPE REIGNED
世界第一大镜超过了二十年
AS THE WORLD'S LARGEST FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES.
数字时代的曙光
THE DAWN OF THE DIGITAL AGE
和制♥造♥业新技术的推广
AND THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
会根本改变巨型镜面的设计
WOULD RADICALLY CHANGE THE DESIGN OF LARGE MIRRORS
和他们的支撑结构
AND THEIR SUPPORTING STRUCTURES.
我们现在在此看到的
SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE
是一面新铸造望远镜镜面
IS A FRESHLY MINTED TELESCOPE MIRROR.
在熔炉上
IT'S ON THE FURNACE.