We live on a world of wonders...
我们生活在一个奇妙的世界里...
..a place of astonishing beauty and complexity.
一个美妙而复杂的世界
We have vast oceans and incredible weather,
我们有广阔的海洋和令人难以置信的天气
giant mountains and breathtaking landscapes.
巨大的高山和激动人心的风景
If you think that this is all there is,
如果你觉得所有的这些宏伟的景观
that our planet exists in magnificent isolation,
仅仅是存在于我们星球上
then you're wrong.
那么你就错了
As a physicist,I'm fascinated by how the laws of nature
作为一个物理学家 我很着迷于这些自然规律造就
that shaped all this
这一切
also shaped the worlds beyond our home planet.
以及创造各种各样世界的的方式
I think we're living through the greatest age of discovery
我认为我们生活在一个最能够探索与发现
our civilisation has known.
已知文明的时代
We've voyaged to the farthest reaches of the solar system.
我们的航天器早已到达太阳系最远的地带
We've photographed strange new worlds,
我们已经拍下了陌生的新世界
stood in unfamiliar landscapes,tasted alien air.
站在这不熟悉的地方 呼吸着陌生的空气
But what makes the wonders of the solar system even more astonishing is
但到底是什么使太阳系如此壮观 更吃惊的是
that it all started as nothing more than a chaotic cloud of gas and dust.
这一切的开始不过是一团混乱的气体和尘埃云
And it was from that cloud that everything in the solar system formed.
它只是云 却形成了太阳系的一切
All this order - the sun,
这一切的秩序 - 太阳
the rotating planets,me
旋转的行星 我
coalesced from a collapsing cloud of dust.
坍塌的尘埃云结合到一起
In this film,we'll discover
本集 我们将探索
how the solar system made the journey from chaos into order...
太阳系从混沌到秩序的旅程...
..and see how that cloud gave rise to the solar system's most beautiful wonder
..看看这些云是怎么引发太阳系最美丽的奇迹
the majestic rings of Saturn.
雄伟的土星环
We'll discover how Saturn's amazingly varied moons
我们会发现土星是怎么让卫星
govern the intricate patterns of the rings,
排列成复杂美丽的光环
and how another wonder recently discovered on one of those moons
而最近 在其中一颗卫星上的发现
is changing our ideas
正在改变我们对于
about the nature of the outer solar system.
太阳系的外部性质的看法
It's cool!
很酷哦!
We'll witness the fundamental forces that control the universe...
我们将见证 掌控宇宙的最根本力量...
It's beginning to come - the end of the world.
它过来啦 - 世界末日啊
..and see how those forces were unleashed
..并且看看这些力量是如何释放
to create the beautifully ordered solar system we live in.
来创造这优美的 有序的 太阳系
It's only now that we're beginning to understand the origins of that order,
我们现在才开始认识到这一秩序的起源
and that has implications for our understanding of the entire solar system,
这影响到我们对整个太阳系的认识
and,ultimately,of why we are here.
最终 来发现我们为什么在这里的原因
太阳系的奇迹
从混沌到秩序
MUEZZIN CHANTS
圣歌吟诵
This is the Great Mosque in the city of Kairouan in Tunisia,
这里是突尼斯Kairouan最大的清真寺
and this mosque is the fourth holiest place in Islam,
在伊斯兰最神圣的清真寺中 它排第四
and so for the last 14 centuries,the relentless passing of the days
在过去的14世纪
has been celebrated by prayers before dawn,at sunrise,
祈祷庆祝 在太阳升起 在黎明前
at noon,at sunset and in the evening.
在中午 在黄昏 在晚上
MUEZZIN CHANTS
祷告吟唱
The calls to prayer mark out
这些祷文中 标识了
the passing of time as the sun travels across the sky.
太阳在过去 在天空的运行轨迹
But it's not the sun that's moving.
但不是太阳在动
What we're really observing is the movement of the Earth through space.
从太空 我们真正观察到的是地球的移动
This is the ball of rock we live on.
我们赖以生存的大石球
It carries us through cycles of night and day
它从早到晚载着我们旋转
as it turns on its axis every 24 hours.
每天24小时的自转
A year is the time it takes to orbit the sun,
绕太阳一圈的时间 就是一年
and we have seasons because the Earth's axis is tilted by 23 degrees.
我们的季节 就是因为地球自转轴倾斜了23度
To see how that works,we need to speed time up
为了看清效果 我们必须加速时间
so a year passes in just ten seconds.
所以一年只用10秒
At this pace,
在这样的速度
we can see how the southern and then northern hemispheres
我们可以看到南半球和北半球
are angled towards the warmth of the sun,
角度对着太阳时 就比较温暖
taking us through yearly cycles of summer and winter.
所以我们每年都经历着冬夏交替
All the rhythms of our lives are governed
我们的生活节奏都被控制着
by how the Earth travels through space,
取决于地球太空的位置
and in Tunisia in April,it's springtime.
在突尼斯4月 春天
This is the seasonal flower market in Kairouan,and it's only here
这里是凯鲁万 季节性花卉市场
for two months of the year,
每年 它只在这里开放2个月
because that's when these flowers are in flower.
因为这时候正是这些鲜花开花的季节
And it's a beautiful example of how the structure,
真是一个很好的例子
the clockwork of the solar system
说明太阳系是如何精确
affects things here on Earth in the most unexpected of ways,
影响到地球上的万物 以最意想不到的方式
because if our Earth's axis wasn't tilted by 23 degrees,
因为如果地球地轴不倾斜23度
then there wouldn't be any seasons,
那么就不会有任何季节
and if there weren't any seasons,then seasonal flowers wouldn't have evolved
没有任何季节 时令鲜花 就没有进化
and there wouldn't be a flower market.
就不会有花卉市场
But it's not just the Earth.
不单单是地球
The whole solar system is full of rhythms.
整个太阳系都充满着节奏
Each planet orbits the sun at its own distinctive tempo.
每个行星在其太阳轨道上 都有着自己独特的节奏
Mercury is the fastest.
水星是最快的
Closest to the sun,it reaches speeds
最靠近太阳 它的速度达到
of 200,000 kilometres an hour as it completes its orbit in just 88 days.
每小时20万公里 短短88天就走完了它的轨道
Venus rotates so slowly that it takes longer to spin on its axis
金星的自转非常缓慢 它自转需要的时间
than it does to go around the sun,
比它绕太阳公转的时间还要长
so that on Venus,a day is longer than a year.
因此在金星 一天比一年要长
Further out,the planets orbit more and more slowly.
更远的地方 行星绕轨道转得越来越慢
Jupiter,the largest planet,takes 12 Earth years to complete each orbit.
木星 最大的行星 需要12年才能完成一次公转
And at the very furthest reaches of the solar system,
而太阳系最远的地方
4.5 billion kilometres from the sun,
远离太阳45亿公里
Neptune travels so slowly that it hasn't completed a single orbit
海王星走得太慢了 甚至我们都没有看到它完成一次公转
since it was discovered in 1846.
因为它是1846年发现的
The solar system is driven by these rhythms,
太阳系控制着这些节奏
so regular that the whole thing could be run by clockwork.
所有事情都像钟表一样规律地运行
It seems extraordinary that such a well-ordered system
令人惊叹的是 这样一个良好的有序系统
could have come into being spontaneously,
可能是自然产生的
but it is in fact a great example
但它确实是一个很好的例子
of the beauty and symmetry that lies at the heart of the universe.
处于星系核心的匀称美
I want to explain how that order emerged from the chaos of space,
它是如何从混沌的太空形成秩序
because understanding that will help us understand
这将有助于我们了解
the origins and formation of the solar system,
太阳系的起源和形成
and the beauty of its wonders.
以及它的奇妙之美
These are the Atlas Mountains in North Africa.
这是北非的阿特拉斯山脉
According to Roman legend,they held the heavens above the Earth.
据罗马传说 它们支撑起地球上空的天堂
And they are one of the finest places to come to view the stars.
是看星星最好的地方之一
From a place like this,it's easy to appreciate the profound effect
像这样一个地方 很容易理解其中的深刻影响
that the night sky would have had on our ancestors.
夜空中有着我们的祖先
You know,from a modern perspective,
嗯 从现代角度来看
astronomy can seem remote and arcane,
天文学看似遥不可及
because we've lost our connection with the night sky.
因为我们失去了与夜空的联系
From a city you just don't see a sky look anything like this.
这样的夜空你在城市是看不到的
From the darkness of the Atlas Mountains,it's really,truly majestic.
但从黑暗的阿特拉斯山脉 它的的确确很雄伟
So for our ancestors,
因此 对于我们的祖先
the connection with the night sky would have been incredibly intimate.
他们与夜空的联系真的是难以置信的亲密
They looked into the skies to understand their place in creation,
他们查看天空 了解他们万物所在的地方
and the movement of the stars
星星的运行
told them one thing -
告诉他们一件事
they were at the centre of the universe.
他们在宇宙的中心
Up there is Polaris,the North Star,
上面是北极星 北极的星(再次蛋痛的英语)
and it's almost exactly aligned with the Earth's spin axis,
它几乎完全与地球的地轴成一直线
which means that,as the Earth rotates,
就是说 随着地球转动
all the stars rotate through the sky around that point.
所有恒星的旋转 似乎都围绕着天空这一点
So it looks for all the world as if the Earth
因此看起来 的确觉得
is at the centre of the universe and the stars rotate around it.
地球是宇宙的中心 因为星星都绕着它转
And that's,of course,what the ancients thought for thousands of years,and why not?
而这 当然 古人几千年都是这样的想法
Because it's obvious...
因为这是显而易见的...
but wrong.
却是错误的
To understand the Earth's real position in the solar system,
为了了解地球在太阳系的真正位置
we need to look at the one set of bodies
我们需要研究有关的一套体制
that doesn't behave as predictably as the stars.
这并不能预言恒星的行踪
The Greeks named them "planetes",or "wandering stars",
希腊人将它们命名为"行星"或"流浪之星"
and we have kept the name "planet" to describe them.
我们一直用"行星"来形容它们
This is Mars,photographed once a week over a period of months.
这是火星 过去几个月 每周拍摄一次
Rather than travelling in a straight line
并不在一条直线运行
across the background of the stars,
在繁星的背景下
it occasionally changes direction and loops back on itself.
它有时变化方向 返回到之前的位置
It's very hard to explain these retrograde loops
这很难解释这些循环的逆行
if the Earth is at the centre of the universe.
如果地球是宇宙的中心
Understanding the retrograde motion of Mars didn't come easy.
想要弄懂火星的逆行运动 并不容易
That's why it took over 2,000 years to work out,
为什么两千多年来一头雾水
but I'm going to explain it using a stick and some rocks
今天我只需要木棒和一些石块来解释
The key thing is that the Earth is not at the centre of the solar system.
关键在于 地球不是太阳系的中心
The sun is,
太阳才是
and the Earth and Mars go round it
地球和火星都绕着它转
in almost...
近乎于...
circular orbits.
圆形轨道
So when Mars is viewed from the Earth,
因此 从地球上看火星
then it's seen on the sky -
然后在天空这边被看到
in fact on the constellations of the Zodiac.
其实对应着生肖星座
So as Mars orbits around and the Earth orbits around,
火星轨道在这 地球轨道在这
then from that position,
然后从这一方位
Mars will look like it's there on the sky.
火星看起来就像在天空这里
Mars moves and the Earth moves in THAT position...
火星移动 地球移动在这里...
..and Mars moves in that direction across the sky,and again,
..火星移到了天空的这里 然后再次的
in that position,
在这个位置
Mars will be here,so it's moving in a straight line across the sky.
火星会在这 所以它在整个天空划过一条直线
But what happens when the Earth overtakes Mars?
但是 当地球赶上火星之后呢?
Then look at the line of sight.
看看视线的方位
Mars has moved back to there.
火星返回到那里
It's reversed its direction.
朝着相反的方向
And it continues to do that
然后然后
until the Earth gets round to somewhere like there,
直到地球运行到 例如在这
and Mars is here,
火星在这里
and the line of sight means it's started moving that way again.
视线看上去它的移动方式又回到这样子了
So Mars has executed that strange looping motion on the sky
因此 天空上 火星奇怪的循环返回的方式
because the Earth overtook Mars on the inside,and that's why
是因为地球在内圈上超越了火星 这就导致
the retrograde motion happens.
逆行动作的发生
Simple!
简单吧!
Understanding the retrograde loops
揭示逆行的原理
was one of the major achievements of early astronomy.
是早期天文学的重大成就
It created the concept of the solar system
它开创了太阳系的概念
and allowed us to build the first accurate maps of the planets
使我们建立了第一张精确的行星地图
and their orbits around the sun.
和它们围绕太阳的轨道
Once you had this picture of a solar system
一旦你有了这样的一张太阳系图片
running like clockwork,
运行像钟表
the sun surrounded by the orbiting planets,
太阳周围环绕着的行星
then you might start asking questions like
那么你可能要问 比如
why is the solar system so ordered,
为什么太阳系如此井然有条
and how did that order come into existence.
这些秩序又是如何诞生的
Well,a clue lies in those sweeping,circular motions of the planets.
那么 线索就在于那些广阔的 行星的圆形运动中
RADIO:..Severe storms over western Oklahoma,70%.
广播 西俄克拉荷马州 70%机率强暴风
Other hazardous weather,80%...
...80%机率 其他恶劣天气
To understand how the solar system came into being,
要了解太阳系的诞生
we need to understand the physical principles that govern the whole universe.
我们需要了解支配整个宇宙的物理原理
But,of course,the same laws of physics also control the world WE inhabit,
但是 当然 同样的物理规律也可以控制我们所居住的世界
so to discover how the solar system started,
所以 要发现太阳系是如何开始
we don't need to look out into space or back in time.
我们不需要看外空间 或回到过去
We just need to look around us.
我们只需要看看我们的周围
One of the remarkable things about the laws of nature is that they're universal,
很明显 自然规律是普遍适用的
and that means that the same laws that describe the formation of the solar system
这意味着 同样的规律能描述太阳系的形成
can also describe the most mundane things here on Earth,
也能描述地球上最平凡的东西
like the motion of water as it drains from the sink.
像水流走的方式
These spinning spirals are seen all across the universe.
这些螺旋形 整个宇宙都能看到
We see them everywhere because the laws of physics are the same everywhere.
我们到处看到它们 因为物理定律是相同的 无处不在
I've come here to Oklahoma to see how those laws can unleash forces
我来这里 俄克拉荷马州 看看这些规律 如何释放出力量
that drive some of the most powerful and destructive phenomena
它推动着我们地球大气层里 最强大
in the atmosphere of our planet
最有破坏性的现象
tornadoes.
龙卷风
Oklahoma is in the middle of what is known as Tornado Alley.
俄克拉荷马州 处在龙卷风的中心地带
No,no,no! Tornado! Tornado! Oh,my God!
不 不 不! 龙卷风! 龙卷风! 噢 我的上帝!
Yep,it's huge.
是的 好巨大啊
Oh,wow!Big,big,big. Look at that thing!
哦 哇! 大 大 大 你看那个东西!
Look at it spin!
看着它旋转!
Every year,hundreds of twisters tear across the landscape.
每年都有数百起这样的场景
They're incredibly dangerous and destructive,
它们拥有令人难以置信的危险性和破坏性
and their key feature is that same spinning spiral.
其主要特点是 同样的螺旋旋转
Don Giuliano is a professional storm chaser.
唐朱利安诺是一名专业猎风者
He's going to help me try to get close to a tornado.
他会帮我尽可能地接近龙卷风
That little developing storm there is this.
那边有个小风暴正在形成
It's a severe thunderstorm that is capable of producing a tornado.
这个剧烈的暴风雨有产生龙卷风的能力
Anywhere inside that purple area,
紫色区域内的任何地方
it's possible that a tornado could be there or is moving that way.
都是龙卷风可能存在或经过的地方
And what would happen if,in this car,
如果发生 在这个车
we deliberately or not went straight through it?
我们 谨慎的或者 直接穿过它?
It would probably pick up our car and toss it
它可能会卷起我们的车 然后抛飞
a quarter of a mile through the air and crush it into a little ball.
在空中四五百米 压碎成一个小球
I'm going to just do a U-turn.
我想掉头走人了
THEY LAUGH
发笑
'Bizarre as it sounds,
'它诡异的声响
'the processes that drive these vast storm systems
'在这些巨大风暴推进的过程
'are the same as would have been seen 5 billion years ago
'与50亿年前 太阳系开始时
at the start of the solar system.'
一模一样 '
Everything that we know and see around us was formed from a nebula -
我们所知道的一切 是从星云的形成
a giant cloud of gas and dust.
一片巨大的气体尘埃云
Drifting across light years of space,
漂流在跨越光年距离的空间
that cloud remained unchanged for millions of years.
乌云仍然是数百万年不变
But then something happened that caused it to coalesce
但后来发生了一些事 使它凝聚
into the solar system we have today.
成今天我们的太阳系
It's thought that a supernova,
一般认为 是一颗超新星
the explosive death of a nearby star,
在附近的一颗恒星旁爆炸
sent shockwaves through the nebula.
透过星云发出冲击波
This caused a clump to form in the heart of the cloud.
引起了聚集 形成了云的核心
Because it was more dense,its gravitational pull was stronger
因为它变得更密集 它的引力变得更强大
and it started to pull in more and more gas.
并开始吸引更多更多的气体
Soon the whole cloud was collapsing,and crucially,it began to spin.
很快 整个乌云坍塌 而更为关键的是 它开始旋转
It's a feature of all things that spin
旋转都有一个共同的特征
that if they contract,they must also rotate faster.
如果它们(半径)缩短了 它们必须旋转得更快
It's a universal principle called the conservation of angular momentum.
这个普遍规律 称为角动量守恒定律
Just pull off anywhere here.
这里的任何东西都会抛飞
'It's this that leads to those spinning spirals,
'导致它们螺旋地旋转
'and it applies equally well to the early solar system
'它也同样适用于太阳系早期
'and storms like these.
'和这些风暴
'As the giant thunderheads build,
'由于巨大的雷暴产生
'they suck up hot air and contract,
'它们吸取了热气 从而缩短
'and like the cloud that built the solar system,
'像乌云建立起来的太阳系
'when they contract,they spin faster and faster.'
'当它们缩短 它们的旋转速度就越来越快
On Earth in storms like this,
在地球 像这样的风暴
conservation of angular momentum means that you get,
在角动量守恒之下 在最极端的情况下
in the most extreme case,tornadoes.
形成龙卷风
You get very rapidly rotating columns of air
你得要非常快速旋转的空气柱
where the wind speeds can rise to 300,400,
风速能达到三四百公里
even sometimes 500 kilometres an hour.
甚至是500公里每小时
It's very similar to the process that occurred early in the formation of the solar system,
这非常类似于发生在太阳系形成早期的过程
when a collapsing cloud of dust got,for some reason,a little bit of spin,
当尘埃云坍塌 由于某些原因 一点点的旋转
and as that dust cloud collapsed,the spin rate has to speed up and speed up.
而且随着这个尘埃云坍塌 旋转速度加快 再加快
That's kind of things what you can see in storms like this when tornadoes are formed.
就像你看到这样的风暴时 龙卷风的形成
The spin of the big storm system can become concentrated and speeded up
旋转的暴风系统可以变得 浓缩的 快速的
in,well,a tornado.
啊 龙卷风
You get immense wind speeds,although the wind speed isn't too gentle now.
你要得到巨大的风速 虽然这样的风速不是很温柔了
And it looks pretty wild up there,I've got to say.
它看起来很吓人 我必须得这样说
In fact,I've never... Look at that.
事实上 我从来没有...看那边
I've rarely seen such dramatic clouds.
我很少见过这么生动的云朵
And apparently,we've got about five minutes before the end of the world,
而且显然 我们还有大约5分钟 距离这世界末日
so we have to get back in the car.
所以我们得回到车上来
There's thunder and lightning and there was a report earlier from this storm
那边雷电交加 对于冰雹来说真是小意思
of hail the size of baseballs,and I don't want one of those on my head.
冰雹有棒球那么大 我可不希望砸到我头上
PATTERING
嗒嗒声
Let's get back to the car.Let's go.
回到车上 我们走
It's beginning to come - the end of the world!
它来了 - 世界的末日!
'This storm never developed into a tornado,but when they do,
'这个风暴未能发展成龙卷风 一旦形成
'you can really see the conservation of angular momentum in action.'
'你真的可以看到什么叫角动量守恒
Huge tornado,look at that!
巨型龙卷风 你看!
'As the storm contracts,its core rotates faster and faster
'当风暴浓缩 其核心旋转速度越来越快
'until a column of violently rotating air descends from the cloud.'
'从云中 猛烈旋转的空气柱直直地下沉 '
Man,look at that funnel!
老兄 看看这个漏斗!
'The awesome spinning power of tornadoes has incredibly destructive effects,
'龙卷风令人可怕的威力使得它有惊人的破坏性
'but it's this same phenomenon
'但正是这种相同的现象
'that is responsible for creating the stability of the solar system,
'承担起开创太阳系稳定性的重任
'because it was the conservation of angular momentum
'因为那是角动量守恒定律
'that stopped the early solar system collapsing completely.'
'它阻止了早期太阳系的崩溃 '
Oh,my God,that's going to be violent.
噢 我的上帝 变得猛烈了
While gravity caused the nebula to contract,its conserved spin
而引力造成的星云收缩 其保持的自旋
gave rise to a force that balanced the inward pull of gravity
产生了一个力量均衡的引力向心力
and allowed a stable disc to form.
并维持稳定的光盘转动方式
When the sun ignited,it lit up this spinning disc.
当太阳开始燃烧 它也点燃了这个旋转的光盘
And within the disc,the planets formed,
并在光盘 形成了行星
all orbiting the sun in their regular,clockwork patterns.
所有绕日轨道 都是有规律的时钟模式
In just a few hundred million years,
短短的几百万年里
the cloud had collapsed to form a star system,
云层坍塌 形成了一个恒星系统
our solar system,
我们的太阳系
the sun surrounded by planets,
太阳周围的行星
and the journey from chaos into order had begun.
从混沌到秩序的旅程开始了
And there's no better place to see the results of that journey
看这样的旅程 这里是最佳位置了
than in what I think is one of the wonders of the solar system.
我想这是太阳系的奇迹之一
Of all the solar system's wonders,
所有太阳系的奇迹
there is a place we can go where the processes that built the solar system
有个地方 我们可以看到建立太阳系的过程
are still in action today...
在今天 仍在进行...
..a place of outstanding beauty and complexity...
..一个著名 美丽和复杂的地方...
..a place that has entranced astronomers for centuries...
..一个数百年天文学家都着迷的地方...
..the planet Saturn.
..土星
This is NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
这里是美国宇航局喷气推进实验室
and I've known about this place,or its address - Oak Grove Drive,Pasadena,California -
当我知道这个地方时
since I was very small,because I wrote to them in 1975
那时我还很小 因为1975年时 我写信对他们说
to ask for pictures from the surface of Mars taken by Viking,
想要一些来自火星表面 海盗号拍摄的图片
and they sent them.
然后他们寄给了我
But today,this is the control centre for Cassini,which is our one,
但今天 这是卡西尼号的一个控制中心
and to date,only,spacecraft in orbit around Saturn.
迄今为止 唯一环绕土星的航天器
Cassini was launched in 1997.
卡西尼号于1997年发射
It is the largest,most sophisticated spacecraft ever sent to the outer solar system.
它是发送到太阳系外域 最大 最先进的航天器
Its purpose is to study Saturn and its rings,and since 2004,
其目的是研究土星及土星环 自2004年以来
it has been sending back the most amazing pictures.
它已发送回最令人惊奇的图片
They reveal that the rings are impossibly intricate,
它们透露出 土星环无法想象的复杂
made up of thousands upon thousands of individual bands and gaps.
它由成千上万个 独立的环带和裂缝组成
The whole system is surrounded by a network of moons.
整个系统是一个环绕的卫星网络
Part of Cassini's mission is to discover how the rings
卡西尼的使命之一 是探索土星环
came to be like this,how all this incredible structure was created.
如何变成 如何创造 这令人难以置信的结构
Because,strange as it seems,
因为 它很不可思议
these beautiful patterns are as close as we can get
这些美丽的图案近乎于
to the disc that formed the solar system,
我们太阳系的光碟模式
and that is why the Saturnian system has so much to tell us.
这就是土星系统能告诉我们的地方
I mean,I like to think of it as like a miniature solar system.
我的意思是 我喜欢把它看作成一个微型的太阳系
The moons are the equivalent of the planets and Saturn is the equivalent of the sun.
卫星等同于行星 土星等同于太阳
'Carl Murray has spent a lifetime studying Saturn's rings.'
'卡尔默里花了一辈子研究土星环
In the rings,we're learning something about our own origins,if you like,
从土星环中 我们学到了自己根源的东西
because the physical processes that go on in the rings
因为物理过程一直在土星环里持续着
and their interaction with the small moons
和它们互动的小卫星
are probably similar to what went on in the early solar system after the planets formed,
行星形成后 可能类似于太阳系的早期过程
and there's still a ring or debris left over from the formation of the planets.
形成后的行星 遗留下一些碎片
So if you looked at the solar system 4.5 billion years ago,
因此 如果看下45亿年前的太阳系
the sun at the centre,
处于中心的太阳
you'd have a disc of dust not unlike Saturn's ring system?That's right.
它的尘埃盘很像土星环系统? 对的
But if we can't understand a disc of material that's in our own back yard,
但是 如果我们连这个都搞不懂
what chance do we have of understanding
我们怎么去弄清楚
a disc that's long since disappeared the one out of which the solar system formed?
太阳系刚形成的样子呢?
So it's the same processes,
因此 它是相同的步骤
but we've got this incredible opportunity with Cassini
卡西尼号抓住了这个难得的机会
to observe things happening in front of our eyes.
观察着我们眼前发生的事
Using the data from Cassini,
利用卡西尼号的数据
we are able to recreate Saturn's rings in incredible detail.
我们重构了土星环精妙的细节
We can journey from the vast scale of the disc
我们的旅程从庞大的角度
to the minute structure of individual ringlets.
到每一个独立的细微结构
All the rings are in motion,orbiting Saturn at immense speeds.
所有的光环都在运行 以巨大的速度环绕土星
Like the planets orbiting the sun,the rings nearest Saturn are
最靠近土星的光环运行最快
the fastest,travelling at over 80,000 kilometres an hour.
超过80 000公里的时速
And while the rings appear solid,casting shadows onto the planet,
光环投射到星球上的影子
they are also incredibly delicate.
同样非常精美
The main disc of the rings is over 100,000 kilometres across,
主光环超过10万公里
but as little as three metres thick.
却只有短短的3米厚
Saturn's rings are undoubtedly beautiful
土星环 无疑是美丽的
and,when you see those magnificent pictures from Cassini,
当你看到那些卡西尼号发回的图片
it's almost impossible to imagine that level of intricacy and beauty and symmetry
这简直出乎想象 这种美丽 复杂 和谐的程度
could have emerged spontaneously,but emerge spontaneously it did.
但它确实是自然形成的
And for that reason alone,
仅仅这一个原因
Saturn's rings are one of my wonders of the solar system.
土星环已经是太阳系的奇迹了
But there's more than that because,
不仅如此
in studying the origin and evolution of Saturn's rings,
在研究土星环的起源和演变的领域里
we've begun to gain valuable insights
我们开始了解太阳系的
into the origins and evolutions of our own solar system.
起源和演化的价值
To try to understand the true nature of Saturn's rings,
要弄清土星环的本质
I've come to this glacial lagoon in Iceland.
我来到了冰岛的冰川湖
There are two things the boat driver told me about these icebergs.
船长告诉我两件事 是关于这些冰山的
One is that they can come up from the bottom of the seabed
其一 它们会从水底浮上来(惊现PEAK! )
without any warning at all,
没有任何预兆
fly up to the surface,tip the boat over and then you die.
冲到水面上 顶翻船 然后你就挂了
Secondly,if you take some of it and take it home,
其次 如果你带一些回家
it's absolutely brilliant in whisky
绝对是做威士忌的精华
because the water is pure,a thousand years old,
因为这些水非常纯净 1000年了
no pollutants in it and it makes whisky taste superb.
没有任何污染 能使威士忌的味道极好
So it's either death or whisky.
所以 威士忌或死亡!
That's my kind of pond!
成为我的池塘吧!
But I'm really here because the structure of the rings
我来这里是要了解土星环结构的
is remarkably similar to the way these icebergs float in the lagoon,
它非常类似于这些浮动的冰山
because,despite appearances,the rings aren't solid.
因为 尽管外表看上去 光环很不扎实
Each ring is made up of hundreds of ringlets
每个环有数百个小环
and each ringlet is made up of billions of separate pieces.
每个小环有数十亿独立的小碎片
Caught within the grasp of Saturn's gravity,the ring particles
在土星的引力下 这些环颗粒
independently orbit around the planet in an impossibly thin layer.
在其独立的轨道 形成了一层极薄的薄层
Thanks,see you in a minute. Yeah hopefully.
谢谢 等下再见 恩 悠着点
But the similarity doesn't end with the layout.
相似性不止是排列
It also lies in what the rings and the icebergs are made of,
还在于光环和冰山的构成
and that explains why the rings are so bright.
从而解释为何光环如此之明亮
Well,this is why we can see Saturn's rings from Earth,
好 我们可以从地球看到土星环的原因
because this is what they're made of.
在于它们的构成
They're made of beautiful pure water ice,sparkling in the sunlight,
它们是纯净的水结成的冰 阳光下闪闪发光
billions of these pieces,a billion kilometres away from Earth.
这些数十亿件 离地球10亿公里远的碎片
Most of the pieces are,well,smaller than that,less than a centimetre.
大部分的 嗯 比这些小 小于1厘米
Many are micron size ice crystals,but some are as big as this iceberg.
很多是微米大小的冰晶 但有些和这座冰山一样大
Some are as big as houses.
有些房子一样大
Some can be over a kilometre across.
有的可以超过一公里
Imagine sitting on one!
想象一下 坐在其中一个!
Imagine this were a piece of Saturn's rings. What a view.
想象一下 这是土星环的一块 多爽啊
This is the closest we can get to Saturn's rings on Earth
这是我们在地球 与土星环最接近的
and the view would be remarkably similar.
最相似的情景了
Billions of chunks of ice shining brightly as they catch the sunlight.
数十亿的冰块闪耀着明媚的阳光
And the reason the rings shine so brightly is that,like the icebergs,
光环如此明亮的原因 就像冰山
the rings are constantly changing.
光环是不断变化的
As the ring particles orbit Saturn,
土星环粒子绕着土星转
they're continually crashing into each other and collecting into giant
它们不断地互相撞击 聚集成巨大的一群
clusters that are endlessly forming and breaking apart.
无休止的形成和分裂
As they collide,the particles shatter
当它们碰撞 粉碎的颗粒
exposing bright new faces of ice that catch the sunlight.
明亮的新面孔捕获到阳光
It's because of this constant recycling that the rings are
因为光环恒久不变的循环组成方式
able to stay as bright and shiny as they were when they formed.
保持了刚形成时的明亮和光泽
For me,one of the most remarkable things about Saturn's rings
对我来说 土星最显著的地方就是土星环
is their dynamism,their constant renewal.
它们焕发着无穷的活力
It's because of that dynamism that we can see them at all.
因此 如此美景我们尽收眼底
That's why they're clean,
它们反射的清澈的阳光
that's why they reflect sunlight and we can see them from Earth.
我们从地球都能看得到
It's,I suppose,a bit like a city that people come and go,buildings
这是 我想 有点像一座城市 人来人往
get torn down and rebuilt but the city always remains the same.
建筑物拆掉 重建 但这座城市一直不变
So it is with Saturn's rings.
类似土星环
They're different today than they were a thousand years ago.
它们不同的是 它们有1000多年了
They'll be different in a hundred or a thousand years' time
也许经过一百或一千多年 就不同了
but that structure and that beauty,that magnificence will always remain.
但这种美丽的结构 将永远辉煌
Saturn's rings are magnificent for more than just their beauty...
土星环的壮丽 不仅仅是它们的美丽...
..because by looking at the rings
..因为看的时候
we can begin to understand our own origins.
我们开始了解自己的起源
And the key to understanding the rings can be found orbiting around them.
而了解光环的关键 是找到它们正确的轨道
Oh!
哦!
That is absolutely incredible.
神奇的大自然啊
You can see the rings are completely end on.
你可以看到完整的光环
I mean,when you see that,I've looked at the sky,I've looked
我的意思是 我看过土星几百次
at Saturn hundreds of times but I've never seen it through a telescope like this
但从来没有通过这样的望远镜去看它
and you really get a feeling it's a planet.
真的对这个行星很有感觉
I know what Galileo thought when he said that the planet had ears.
我知道伽利略的想法 当时他说 行星都有耳朵
He didn't have one of these telescopes,though.
虽然 他没有这样的望远镜
And I can see one,two,three,
我可以看到一 二 三
four,five moons around the planet.
四 五围绕土星的卫星
It's just incredibly beautiful.
真是太美丽了
Seen like this,it's easy to appreciate how Saturn
这样看 很容易理解土星
is like a mini-solar system with the moons orbiting like planets around the sun.
为何像一个小型太阳系了
From Earth we can only see a few of the larger moons.
从地球 我们只能看到一些较大的卫星
But in total,Saturn has more than 60 moons,
但土星总共有超过60个卫星
and seen close up,they are a weird and wonderful bunch.
近点看 它们是一群神秘奇妙的卫星
Dione is typical of Saturn's icy moons.
土卫四是典型的冰卫星
It looks similar to our own moon but its composition is very different.
它类似于我们自己的月亮 但它的组成非常不同
It's about two-thirds water but the surface temperature is minus
它有约三分之二的水 但表面温度是
190 degrees Celsius,and at those temperatures,
零下190摄氏度 在这温度下
the surface behaves pretty much like solid rock.
其地表几乎像固体石块
Iapetus is known as the yin and yang moon,
土卫八被称为阴阳卫星
one half clean ice,
一半是洁净的冰
the other coated in black,dusty deposits.
另一半覆盖着黑色的尘土
The giant moon,Titan,is bigger than the planet Mercury.
巨人卫星土卫六 它的体积比水星大
But the unique thing about Titan
土卫六有它独特的地方
is this atmosphere which is four times as dense as the Earth's.
其大气密度是地球的4倍
It's rich in organic molecules and it's thought that the chemistry
含有丰富的有机分子 化学构成非常类似于
is very similar to that of the primordial Earth before life began.
地球早期生命起源之前
And Hyperion is a moon unlike any other.
土卫七不同于其他卫星
It's not even round and its battered surface has the texture of a sponge.
它甚至不是圆球 地表像一个打扁的海绵
And one theory for that is that it's actually a captured comet
一个说法是 它实际上是一颗捕获彗星
that has drifted in from the distant reaches of the solar system
漂流在太阳系
and been captured by Saturn's gravity.
后被土星的引力捕获
But the moons of Saturn aren't just a celestial freak show.
土星的卫星不仅是天体怪物
They're the driving force behind the beauty and structure of the rings.
美丽光环的背后还有它们的贡献
The most remarkable of them is hidden in one of the outer rings.
其中最引人注目的隐藏在外圈
Buried in the heart of the E-ring is a moon that is rapidly becoming
在E环的中心地带 一颗卫星正迅速成为
one of the most fascinating places in the solar system - Enceladus.
太阳系最迷人的地方 - 土卫二
Enceladus has long been an astronomical curiosity
土卫二 在天文学里非常特别
because it's the most reflective object in the solar system,
因为它是太阳系中最能反光的物体
but we've known little about it because Enceladus is tiny,
但是我们已经知道 其实土卫二很微小
only 400 kilometres across,and over a billion kilometres away.
只有400公里大小 离土星超过十亿公里
It's only now we have these amazing images from Cassini
卡西尼号拍到了这些令人惊讶的图像
that we can see just how strange it is.
我们可以看到它是多么的奇怪
Its heavily cratered northern hemisphere looks like any other icy moon,
它北半球的大坑看起来像其他的冰卫星
but the southern hemisphere tells a very different story.
但南半球却完全不同
It's almost completely free from craters,
这里几乎没有陨石坑
which means that the surface is probably newly formed.
其表面很可能是新形成的
It's scarred by canyons and riven by cracks.
这伤痕累累的峡谷和四分五裂的裂缝
It all looks remarkably similar to the geology of Earth,
看起来一切都非常类似地球的地质
but carved in ice rather than rock.
除了不是岩石
And right over the South Pole are the Tiger Stripes,
南极右边 是虎纹
four parallel trenches over 130 kilometres long,
4条超过130公里长的平行沟渠
and possibly hundreds of metres deep.
大概有几百米深
They look just like tectonic fault lines.
它们看起来像是构造断层线
This is what tectonic faults look like on Earth.
像地球上的地质断层
This is the continental divide in Iceland
这是冰岛大陆的分水岭
where the American and European plates are spreading apart.
位于美国和欧洲板块 正在逐步分开
The cliffs at the edge of the plates look out over a plain of new crust
板块边缘的悬崖 看得出 有一片新的地壳平原
formed from molten lava pushing up from the centre of the Earth.
由地球中心涌出的熔岩形成
Carolyn Porco,head of the Cassini imaging team,
卡罗琳波尔科 卡西尼号成像组组长
thinks that something similar may be happening on Enceladus.
她认为 类似的事可能正在土卫二发生
It is one of the most unique places in all the solar system
它是太阳系最独特的地方之一
and you can tell that just by looking at it.
看下就知道了
And we think that it's possible that there is something similar
我们认为它可能有类似
to what's happening right here,where you might get slushy ice,
发生在这里的事 你可能会踩到泥泞的冰
viscous ice that comes up through the cracks,OK?
从裂缝透出的 嗯?
And creates more surface ice,the way you get more crust created right here,
并制造了冰层表面的样子 像你在这看到的
pushing things out to the side and it's buckling by the time it gets to what is now the mountains.
(它把裂缝周围的东西推到一边 成为新平原)
So it really is similar to Iceland actually where you're getting lava
因此 它很类似冰岛的熔岩
welling up from the surface and creating new land,so in the same way you've got ice?
从地面涌出 形成新的土地 像这里?
We think. In fact it gives us an indication of just how
我们认为是 事实上它给我们感觉是
this whole system down there may be working.
整个地下可能都在运动
The next clue that something was happening under the surface
下一个线索 什么事发生在地表下呢
came when Cassini flew directly over the South Pole.
当卡西尼号飞到南极
Thermal readings showed hot spots under the Tiger Stripes.
根据热读数显示虎纹下有热点
For some reason,the stripes were much hotter than the rest of the moon.
由于某些原因 这些条纹比它大部分地区都要炎热
Cassini has found the unthinkable.
卡西尼号发现了匪夷所思的事
It's found that this southern tip of Enceladus is excessively warm.
它发现 土卫二南端过于温暖
There's more heat coming out of the south polar cap,if you will,
那里有太多的热量冒出
of Enceladus than is coming out of the equatorial regions.
相对于土卫二的赤道地区
It would be like saying there's more heat coming out of Antarctica than the Equator on Earth.
就好像说 地球的南极比赤道热
Then,one day in November 2005,
以后 在2005年11月某一天
Cassini photographed Enceladus just as the sun was setting behind it.
卡西尼号拍照时 太阳正好在土卫二背后
What it saw became one of the most remarkable discoveries
然后它看到了有史以来 太阳系外域
ever made in the outer solar system.
最大的发现之一
The backlit images reveal giant fountains erupting from the South Pole,
背光图像显示 巨型喷泉从南极喷发
volcanoes blasting out ice instead of rock.
火山喷射出的是冰而不是岩石
And those images blew everybody away.
这些图像使所有人都崩溃了
I mean that was like game over,you know!
我的意思是 游戏结束了 你懂的!
Here you have these dozen or more narrow jets
这里有十多个这样的狭窄喷口
and they just look ghostly and fantastic.
看起来像是幽灵和科幻
Just a few miles away from the continental divide
就在几英里远 从大陆分水岭
is an area that can help us understand the ice fountains.
有一个地方 可以帮助我们理解冰喷泉
This is one of Earth's hot spots where the volcanic heat of
这是地球的热点之一 该火山的核心点
the planet's core bubbles up to just below the surface.
它使气泡上升到 略低于地面
Until a few years ago,Enceladus was thought to be an
几年前 土卫二被认为是一个
unremarkable world,a small frozen barren lump of rock and ice.
平淡无奇的世界 一个小小的石头和冰荒地
But those fountains of ice erupting thousands of kilometres out into space mean that there's something
但喷发到太空数千公里的冰喷泉 说明
incredibly interesting going on beneath its surface.
其地表下肯定有些不可思议的事
It's here we find the Earthly phenomenon most like the ice fountains...
这是我们在地球找到的 最像冰喷泉的现象...
..geysers.
..间歇泉
They form when underground pockets of water suddenly boil
它们的形成是由于地下水突然沸腾
and explode into the air.
爆发到空中
Geysers on Earth require three things.
地球上的间歇泉需要三件事
They require a ready source of water,
它们需要准备好的水源
they require an intense source of heat just below the surface
它们需要在地表下的极热源
and they need just the right geological plumbing.
它们需要正确的地质管道
So if the geysers on Enceladus are similar,then that raises the
因此 如果土卫二上的间歇泉是类似的
intriguing possibility that there's an ocean of liquid water beneath the surface of the moon and it
其地表下就可能有液态的海洋
raises a very interesting question because Enceladus is far too small
这就引发了另一个问题 因为土卫二实在太小
to have retained any meaningful source of heat at its core,
无法保留其核心的热量来源
so where does that heat come from?
那么热从哪里来?
On Earth,the geysers are driven by the intense temperatures inside the
地球上间歇泉的动力来自于内部剧烈的温度
planet,hot enough to melt rock and power volcanoes.
地球 热得足以熔化岩石 火山爆发
But Enceladus is so tiny that its core should be frozen solid.
但土卫二这么小 核心应该冻结坚实
Enceladus must be getting its heat from somewhere else,and it's
土卫二的热量一定来自别的地方
thought that it might come from its peculiar orbit around Saturn.
也许来自于其独特的环绕轨道
So the next thing to investigate was whether or not you could have,
我们研究之后 对它这种现象
what we call,tidal forces flex Enceladus,
称之为 橡胶球土卫二
and that simply arises because the orbit of Enceladus is eccentric,
因为土卫二的轨道是偏心圆
meaning it's elliptical,
也就是椭圆形
out of round,and as it encircles Saturn in its orbit,
它环绕土星的轨道不是圆形
it gets close to Saturn and then far away,close and far away,
它时而接近土星 时而远离 远近交替
and the gravitational pull changes as it moves in its orbit
它在轨道上的变化 导致了引力的改变
so that means the body's flexing and,if it's flexing,
像对物体施加压力一样 如果这样
it means it's undergoing friction inside this.
说明它承受着内部的摩擦
This is a major process for injecting
这是一个施加能量
energy that turns into heat into a body like Enceladus.
然后转化成热能的过程
As Enceladus orbits,
土卫二的轨道
Saturn's gravity actually distorts the shape of the moon.
土星的引力实际上扭曲了它的形状
It's thought that this heats the interior of the moon just enough
它加热卫星内部的温度
to melt a small underground ocean of water.
刚好能够融化地下的海洋
As it contacts the vacuum of space,that water vaporises and explodes out
由于接触太空环境 水会挥发和爆发出来
of the moon creating this wonder of the solar system.
形成了这个太阳系奇观
These geysers are incredibly impressive natural phenomena
这些间歇泉是令人难以置信 令人印象深刻的自然现象
but they pale into insignificance compared to the ice fountains of Enceladus.
但相对于土卫二的冰喷泉 真是小巫见大巫
It's so cool.
太帅了
While this geyser erupts every few minutes,
这间歇泉是每隔几分钟喷发一次
blasting boiling water 20 metres into the air...
喷到空中20米...
..on Enceladus the plumes are thought to be erupting constantly.
..土卫二是不断地爆发
For them,the sky is the limit.
对于它们来说 天空才是尽头
Bursting through the surface at 1,300 kilometres an hour,
地表的爆发 以时速1300公里
they soar up into space for thousands of kilometres.
一下子冲到数千公里高的太空
They must be one of the most impressive sights in the solar system.
它们绝对是太阳系最难忘的景象之一
Any liquid water instantly freezes into tiny ice crystals.
液体水瞬间结成微小的冰晶
Some of it falls back onto the surface,
其中一些又回到了地面
giving the moon its reflective icy sheen.
让冰冷的卫星反射出光泽
But the rest keeps going all the way round Saturn.
其他的就环绕土星 (喷了N年都还没干? 水源何来? )
The ice fountains are creating one of Saturn's rings as we watch.
冰喷泉正在形成土星环 正如我们所见
The whole E-ring is made from pieces of Enceladus.
整个E环都是土卫二的孩子
But Enceladus is not the only moon that shapes the rings.
但土卫二不是唯一能形成光环的卫星
Saturn's other moons also play a crucial role in creating these
土星的其他卫星也发挥了至关重要的作用
beautiful patterns and they do so in mysterious ways.
创造了这些美丽的图案 以这种神奇的方式
The Sahara desert may seem an unlikely place to come to explain Saturn's rings,
撒哈拉大沙漠似乎不是一个能解释土星环的地方
but the behaviour of the sand in the desert
但沙漠中的沙粒运动模式
can help us understand how the moons form the patterns in the rings.
可以帮助我们了解土星环的形成
At first sight the Sahara desert seems an immensely chaotic place,
乍看之下 撒哈拉大沙漠似乎是个极其混乱的地方
just billions of grains of sand being blown randomly around by the desert winds
数十亿的沙粒被风吹得到处走
but actually,
但实际上
look a little bit closer,and you start to see an immense amount of order.
你可以看到一个巨大的秩序
There are sand dunes as far as the eye can see,
沙丘一望无际
and a remarkable thing is that the angles of the front
一个明显的地方是 角度
of all the sand dunes are exactly the same.
所有的沙丘形状都是完全相同的
Now in the Sahara,the emergence of that order is driven by the desert
在撒哈拉 是沙漠带动的秩序
winds blowing always in the same direction,
吹来的风总在同一个方向
day after day,year after year,moving the sand around.
日复一日 年复一年 吹动着沙粒
In the Saturnian system,the order and beauty and intricacy
在土星的系统 秩序 美丽 错综复杂的
of the rings is driven obviously not by wind,
光环 驱动着的 显然不是风
but by a different force,the force of gravity.
而是另一种不同的力量 引力
As the moons orbit Saturn,their gravitational influence sweeps through the rings.
土星的卫星轨道 一直受光环引力的影响
In these amazing images,we can actually watch the moons as they work.
在这些惊人的图像 我们可以真实地看到卫星的运行
We can see gravity in action.
我们可以看到引力的作用
As the moons pass close to the rings,their gravitational pull
当卫星接近光环 其引力
tugs the ring particles towards them,distorting the shape of the rings.
拖动着光环粒子朝向它们 从而扭曲光环形状
The F-ring,one of the outer rings,is twisted into a spiral shape
F -环 外环之一 扭曲成螺旋形
by two moons,Prometheus and Pandora.
就是拜两颗卫星所赐 土卫十六和土卫十七
In this video taken by Cassini,you can see how Prometheus
卡西尼号拍摄的这个视频中 你可以看到土卫十六
drags plumes of material away as it passes close to the rings.
当它接近光环时 拖动着羽状物质
These short-range gravitational effects
这些短程引力作用的模式
account for many of the patterns in the rings.
光环中还有很多
But sometimes the moons can exert their pull over much greater distances,
但有时卫星可以在更大的距离上 施展拉力
and the way they do so reveals the subtlety with which gravity can work.
它们运作的方式揭示了微妙的引力原理
Well,here's a model of the Saturnian system with Saturn in the middle
嗯 这里是一个土星系统模型 土星在中间
and the magnificent ring system going around the outside,
光环系统在外围绕
and the first thing you notice when you look at the rings is a huge gap
你首先注意到 光环有一条巨大的缝隙
called the Cassini division.
称为卡西尼裂缝
Now what could possibly have caused that?
什么原因造成的呢?
Well,it's all down to one of Saturn's moons called Mimas
这一切都是土星的卫星 土卫一的功劳
which orbits well outside the ring system.
它漂亮的轨道在光环外围
And how could something that far outside the rings
距离光环那么远 它怎么可以影响到
have any influence at all on the particles inside the rings?
所有环内的粒子呢?
Well,it's all down to a phenomena called orbital resonance.
嗯 这其实是一个称为轨道共振的现象
Now the particles in the Cassini division have an interesting
现在 卡西尼裂缝的粒子与土卫一
relationship with the moon,Mimas
有一种微妙的关系
because they orbit around Saturn twice for every single
因为它们围绕土星的轨道 是土卫一轨道的
orbit of Mimas,and that has an interesting consequence.
两倍 因此有趣的结果来了
Imagine there's a particle inside the Cassini division.
想象一下 有一颗卡西尼裂缝内部的粒子
Then every second year for this particle they meet up with Mimas.
然后 每隔一年这个粒子就与土卫一相遇 然后离开
They end up in the same place in space
在同一个地方
and that means that this particle will get a kick
意思是 这个粒子会定期地
or a tug from Mimas's gravity on a regular basis,every second year.
从正常的轨道 被土卫一的引力踢开或拖拉 每隔一年
Bang,bang,bang! And that alters the orbit of anything that's in
砰 砰 砰! 距改变左任何系卡西尼裂缝轨道上既野
the Cassini division,and actually has the effect of throwing it out,
实际上 它清理出一条
of clearing a gap in the rings.
光环裂缝
And in fact,much of the complex and beautiful structure of Saturn's rings
大部分土星环的结构
is down to these orbital resonances,
都有这些轨道共振现象
not only with Mimas,but with one or more of the 61 known
不仅是土卫一 更多的像已知的61个
moons of Saturn that orbit outside,and indeed some inside,the rings.
土星卫星的轨道之外 都有类似的一些存在
And for me,that's part of the wonder of Saturn's rings.
对我而言 这是土星光环奇迹的一部分
Their beauty is such a good illustration
它们作为一个好榜样
of how gravity can carve order out of chaos.
说明引力也能拨乱反正
But more than that,understanding how Saturn's moons shape the rings
不仅如此 理解透彻土星卫星形成的光环
can shed light on the events that shaped the early solar system,
可以澄清一件事 太阳系早期的形成活动
events that helped create the world we live in.
帮助我们建立了居住的环境
Resonance can be much more than a delicate sculptor
共振就像一位优雅的雕塑家
because it's not only small moons that can enter orbital resonance.
因为它不单单存在于小卫星轨道共振
It's now thought that billions of years ago the two giants of the solar system,
现在认为 数十亿年前 太阳系的两个巨人
Jupiter and Saturn,
木星和土星
entered a resonance and that unleashed forces that could move entire planets,
也进入了共振 释放出的力量 足以移动整个行星
and that made the solar system an incredibly turbulent and violent place.
使得那里成为太阳系中 极其动荡和暴躁的区域
The solar system is full of craters,
太阳系里充满陨石坑
the record of a long history of cataclysmic impacts.
是长期灾难性影响的历史证据
But there was one period 3.6 billion years ago
但是 曾有一段时期 36亿年前
when the whole solar system was turned inside out
整个太阳系闹翻了天
by the same forces of orbital resonance that shaped Saturn's rings.
轨道共振的力量
We now believe that the giant planets formed
我们确信 巨行星形成时
much closer to the sun than they are today.
比如今更接近太阳
Their orbits drifted for hundreds of millions of years
它们的轨道漂流了数亿年
until Jupiter and Saturn fell into a resonant pattern.
直到木星和土星进入共振模式
Once every cycle,the two planets aligned in exactly the same spot,
每一次循环 这两个行星处在完全相同的位置
creating a gravitational surge
从而引发引力潮
that played havoc with the orbits of all the planets.
它破坏了所有行星的轨道
Neptune was catapulted outwards and smashed into the ring of comets
海王星被踹开到外围 撞入了围绕太阳系的彗星环
surrounding the solar system,with dramatic consequences.
造成了戏剧性的后果
For a hundred million years,the solar system turned into
在其后一亿年里 太阳系变成了
a shooting gallery as a rain of comets ploughed through it.
一个流星雨攻击的打靶场
Millions of comets were scattered in all directions,peppering the planets.
数以百万计的彗星散乱在各处 痛打行星
It was called the Late Heavy Bombardment.
这就是所谓的"后期重型轰炸"
It created many of the craters we see throughout the solar system today.
它造成的陨石坑 今天在整个太阳系都能看得到
It left scars all over our moon...
它在我们月球上到处留下疤痕...
..and it had a lasting impact on the Earth as well.
..对地球的影响同样持久
The only impact craters we see on Earth today,
今天 我们看到地球上的陨石坑
like this one in Arizona,were made much more recently,
这样一个在亚利桑那州 很晚才形成的
but they reveal the scale of these impacts.
但它们揭示了这些影响的规模
Now today,impacts like this are relatively rare,
如今 这样的影响是比较小了
although they will happen again,
虽然它们会再次发生
but during the Late Heavy Bombardment,
但在"后期重型轰炸"
the Earth was hit by thousands of objects with sizes
地球遭到成千上万的陨石攻击
far in excess of the object that made this crater,
体积远超这一陨石坑
and the environment was changed radically and dramatically.
环境变得翻天覆地
But those changes weren't necessarily catastrophic because it's now thought
但这些变化不一定是灾难性的 因为现在看来
that a significant amount of the water in the Earth's oceans
地球上大量的水 就是来源于在
was delivered by the impacts of
"后期重轰炸"中
water-rich comets and other objects during the Late Heavy Bombardment,
那些携带着丰富水资源的彗星
and that means that impacts could have played a key role in the development of life on Earth.
其影响可能对地球生命的萌芽 起到关键作用
Before the Late Heavy Bombardment,the Earth was a barren rock.
"后期重轰炸"之前 地球是个不毛之地
Afterwards,it supported the oceans that would become the crucible for life.
此后 它有了海洋 成为生命的摇篮
Without the water delivered in the Late Heavy Bombardment,life on Earth may never have evolved.
如果没有"后期重轰炸"带来的水 也许地球永远也没有生命
It's quite a thought that all this may have
而这 很有可能
been caused by the violent resonances generated by the orbiting planets.
是由行星轨道共振产生的力量造成的
The story of the solar system is the story of the creation of order out of chaos.
太阳系的故事 就是从混沌到秩序的故事
The planets and their moons were created by the same universal laws,
行星及其卫星以同样的普遍规律 被创造出来
the delicate interaction between gravity and angular momentum
微妙的引力和角动量的相互作用
that led to the spinning patterns we see around us today.
这导致了今天我们所看到的旋转模式
Ultimately,that journey created the finest example of those forces in action...
最终 创造出了 最佳样本...
..because,in creating the solar system,
..因为 形成太阳系期间
those forces that sculpted order out of chaos also created
这些力量造出了 从混沌到秩序的 对于研究
the best and most beautiful laboratory for studying how the solar system works
太阳系形成工程 最佳最美丽的实验室
Saturn's rings.
土星环
It's often the case in science that answers to the most profound
通常 科学地回答这个最深奥的问题
questions can come from the most unexpected of places.
很可能来自最意想不到的地方
Saturn's rings were initially studied because of their beauty,but understanding
土星环的最初研究 是因为它的美丽 但认识了
their formation and evolution has led to a deep understanding
它们的形成和演化 导致了更深刻的认识
of how form and beauty and order can emerge from violence and chaos.
它如何摆脱暴躁和混乱 形成美丽和秩序的
And that understanding can be spread across the entire solar system
这种认识可以适用于整个太阳系
and remember that you and me are part of the solar system.
并且记住 你我都是太阳系的一部分
You and me are ordered structures formed from the chaos
你我是从混沌形成的有序结构
of the primordial dust cloud 4.5 billion years ago,
从45亿年前的原始尘埃云
and that is one of the wonders of the solar system.
这就是太阳系的奇迹