了解宇宙是如何运行的（2010）

How the Universe Works S08E01

Part 1 Jan. 30, 2022, 2:57 p.m.

一颗危险的小行星正朝地球飞来
Narrator: A dangerous asteroid
is heading towards earth.
它有帝国大厦那么大
It's the size of
the empire state building,
以每小时16000英里（约26000公里）的速度飞行
and it's travelling at
16,000 miles an hour.
它叫阿波菲斯，以埃及混乱之神的名字命名
It's called apophis,
after the egyptian god of chaos.
它将在2029年飞近我们
It will fly close to us
in 2029.
不过这一次……它不会撞到我们
It won't hit us...This time,
但当它在2068年回归时
but when it returns
in 2068,
那将是另一个故事了
that could be another story.
如果它在一座城市上空爆♥炸♥，数百万人将会死亡
If it blows up over a city,
millions of people will die.
这可能是美国历史上最具破坏性的
This could be the most
devastating single event
单一事件
in u.S. History.
地球正好就在这个小行星
arrator: Earth is stuck
in the crosshairs
可能撞击的十字准星上
of a potential asteroid strike.
阿波菲斯是约2000颗具有潜在危险的小行星之一
Apophis is one of around 2,000
potentially hazardous asteroids
这些小行星构成了真实和现实的危险
that present
a real and present danger.
小行星以前袭击过我们，它们还会再次袭击我们
Asteroids have hit us before,
and they will hit us again.
就宇宙的危险性而言
As far as cosmic dangerous go,
它们排在第一位
they're number one
on the list.
这不是演习
Narrator: This is not a drill.
如果我们什么都不做……
If we do nothing...
这就是我们的未来
This is our future.
♪
<本集与第七季第七集：小行星之战>
<部分内容有重叠，但本集内容更多>
<本集时长1小时24分是目前最长的一集>
宇宙是如何运行的
第八季第1集小行星启示录-新的威胁
2018年12月
December 2018.
美国♥军♥方在阿♥拉♥斯加海岸附近的
The u.S. Military detect
a huge explosion
白令海上空
in the earth's atmosphere
探测到地球大气中
high over the bering sea
发生了一次巨大的爆♥炸♥
off the coast of alaska.
当探测到这种规模的爆♥炸♥时
When an explosion of this
magnitude is detected,
每个人的想法都是一样的——核武器
everyone's mind
goes to the same thing -- nukes.
但当真正的答案被发现
But when the real answer
was found and it was determined
并确定它甚至不是来自地球时
that it didn't even
originate from earth,
就更加令人震惊了
that was even more shock.
爆♥炸♥的原因是——
Narrator:
The cause of the blast --
一颗小行星
an asteroid.
这颗小行星直径30英尺——
This asteroid was
30 feet across --
质量可能——
something like that --
超过一千吨♥
over a thousand tons,
但它以每秒二十英里（约32公里）的速度移♥动♥
but it was moving
at 20 miles per second,
每小时超过七万英里
over 70,000 miles an hour.
这颗小行星很小
Narrator: This asteroid was
small, and it exploded
它在海洋上空的大气层中爆♥炸♥
in the atmosphere
over the ocean,
所以没有人受伤
so nobody was hurt.
但如果它更大
But if it had been bigger
或者它从不同的地方过来
or it had come
in over a different place
或者它移♥动♥得更快
or it had been moving
a lot faster,
那么它可能就是一个危险的物体了
this could have been
a dangerous object.
但最可怕的是
But the scariest thing
about it
我们没有预见到它的到来
is that
we didn't see it coming.
♪
到目前为止，我们还算幸运
narrator:
So far, we've been lucky.
但擦肩而过的事时有发生
But near misses happen
all the time.
大约每年都会有一次
About once a year,
we get something
类似于核弹在大气层中爆♥炸♥的事件发生
the equivalent of a nuclear bomb
going off in our atmosphere.
虽然这听起来很可怕
And while that
sounds horrible,
但大多数发生在几十英里以外的地方……
most of these happen
tens of miles up...
在开阔的海洋上，我们全然不知地继续前行
Over open ocean, where we go
on completely oblivious.
大多数来自太空的威胁，我们可能并不知道
Narrator:
We may be oblivious to most
of the threats from space,
但它们是非常真实的
but they are very real.
我们会被袭击的
We're going to get hit.
经过一段时间后
Over a certain amount of time,
小行星撞击地球是不可避免的
an asteroid impact
is inevitable.
这是百分之百肯定会发生的
It will happen 100%,
absolute certainty.
[远处狗吠]
[ dog barking in distance ]
♪
[隆隆声、汽车警报声]
[ rumbling, car alarm blaring ]
♪
美国国家航♥空♥航♥天♥局认为来自天空的威胁非常严重
narrator:
Nasa considers the threat
from the skies so severe
因此将保护我们免受小行星攻击作为首要任务
it has made protection
from asteroids a top priority.
这些事件并不罕见他们一直在发生
These events are not rare.
They happen.
当然，由我们来弄清楚我们正在侦查
And of course it's up to us to
make sure that we are detecting
描述和跟踪的所有可能
and characterizing, tracking
all of the near-earth objects
构成威胁的近地天体
that potentially
could be a threat.
这和好莱坞无关这不是关于拍电影
This is not about hollywood.
It's not about movies.
这是为了最终保护我们目前所知的
This is about ultimately
protecting the only planet
唯一一个存在生命的星球
we know right now to host life,
就是地球
and that is the planet earth.
为了帮助保护我们的家园
To help plan
protecting our home,
我们进行了地球防御模拟
we carry out
earth defense simulations.
在三天的时间里
For three days,
参加行星防御会议的200名科学家
200 scientist at the planetary
defense conference
与一颗比白令海太空岩石大20倍的
battle a simulated
asteroid 20 times larger
模拟小行星进行了战斗
than the bering sea space rock.
我们开始模拟，“好吧，如果它袭击一个大城市怎么办？”
We practice, "alright,
what if this hits a major city?
“我们需要做什么？”
What would we need to do?"
通过模拟潜在的撞击场景
narrator: By running
potential impact scenarios,
我们可以为真正的小行星撞击做好准备
we can prepare
for a real asteroid strike.
这就像你在学校或工作中会做的消防演习一样
This is like a fire drill
that you would do at school
在那里你进行演习
or at work,
where you practice
并思考，好吧，如果发生火灾？
and think about, okay,
what if?
出口在哪里？我怎么出去？
Where are the exits?
How do I get out?
我多快能出来？
How fast do I get out?
演习以发现一颗
Narrator: The drill starts
with the discovery
模拟的近地球小行星开始
of a simulated
earthbound asteroid.
所以，第一个信息是有一颗巨大的小行星
So, the first information
is there's a big asteroid
正朝地球飞来
coming towards the earth.
然后我们就能更好地估计出
Then we get a better estimate
它的大小速度
of how big it is,
how fast it's going,
以及它会撞到哪里
and where it's going to hit.