太阳科普 第14期

 It sits a million miles away from the Earth  它位于距地球一百万里处的

at the Lagrangian point  拉格朗日点

where the gravitational pull from the Earth and the sun is equal.  此处地球和太阳的引力相等

Fixed¹ in space it has an uninterrupted  这具固定在太空中的卫星可不受任何阻碍地

view of the sun and its tantrums.  观察太阳及其狂暴行为

It has completely transformed our understanding  这完全颠复了我们既有的观念

you can essentially² see right from inside the sun,  因为我们可以从太阳内部开始

right through to the coronal mass ejections  一路看到离开太阳的

as they're leaving the sun,  日冕物质抛射

so you're seeing way out to 30 solar radii³.  即30倍于太阳半径的距离

Soho has played a key role in understanding  SOHO大大增进了我们

the explosive power of the sun.  对太阳爆炸性威力的了解

By blocking out the discit simulates an eclipse,  它可以遮住日面模拟日蚀现象

revealing the outer atmosphere and  呈现太阳的外气层和

the true scale of the sun's largest eruptions⁴.  大型喷发的真实规模

These are solar flares⁶ and coronal mass ejections  这些是喷发自太阳黑子核心的

and they erupt from the heart of sunspots.  太阳闪焰和日冕物质抛射

The temperatures in a solar flare⁵ will be tens of  太阳闪焰内的温度高达数千万度

millions of degrees so it's an extremely hot,  所以是温度在短时间内

very dramatic change in temperature over a short period of time.  发生高热、剧烈的改变

When they erupt completely you can get masses  完全喷发时，可以看到

which are roughly the mass of Mount Everest  质量相当于圣母峰的团块

being flung out into the solar system.  被抛射进入太阳系

At solar minimum,flares are infrequent.  在太阳活动极小期间，闪焰并不常见

But every 11 years when the cycle peaks, at solar max,  但每隔11年周期到达顶峰，即太阳活动极大期

the sun puts on the best firework display in the solar system.  太阳会出现太阳系中最壮观的烟火戏码

Solar astronomers⁷ are now beginning to  太阳天文学家正逐渐开始

understand the cause of these explosions.  了解这种爆炸事件的起因

They are not caused by the power of fusion⁸.  它们并非肇因于核融合的能量

There is another force at work.  而是另一种力量的运作

It is the force of magnetism⁹.  这种力量就是磁力

The sun is covered in a complex network magnetic fields.  太阳复盖着由磁场组成的复杂网路

A magnetic map shows a familiar patchwork¹⁰  太阳表面的磁场分布

on the face of the sun.  看来十分眼熟

The areas of the strongest fields coincide exactly  磁场最强的部位

with the position of sunspots.  正好就是太阳黑子的位置

Here the magnetic field strength can be amplified¹¹ 10,000 times.  磁场的力量在这里可以放大一万倍

It turns out that the regions of the strongest magnetic field  原来太阳磁场最强的区域

on the sun are in the sunspots.  就是太阳黑子

And in the units that we use sunspot magnetic fields  我们测量到的磁场强度

are roughly a thousand,  约为一千

two thousand,maybe three thousand gauss.  两千，或许到三千高斯

But if you look at magnets like the ones I'm playing with here,  但是我手上这个磁铁

the magnetic field in these magnets  的磁场约为一千

is about a thousand to 1500 gauss.  到一千五百高斯

So these have roughly the same  所以磁场强度

magnetic field strength as a sunspot.  和太阳黑子差不多

 

1 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

2 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

3 radii   

n.半径；半径（距离）( radius的名词复数 )；用半径度量的圆形面积；半径范围；桡骨

参考例句：

• Hence, the damage radii can not be determined from overpressure alone. 因此，破坏半径不能单单由超压力大小来决定。 来自辞典例句
• It is now necessary to introduce a sign convention for radii of curvature. 现在必须介绍曲率半径的正负号规则。 来自辞典例句

4 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

5 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

6 flares   

n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开

参考例句：

• The side of a ship flares from the keel to the deck. 船舷从龙骨向甲板外倾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation. 他是火爆性子，一点就着。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

9 magnetism   

n.磁性，吸引力，磁学

参考例句：

• We know about magnetism by the way magnets act.我们通过磁铁的作用知道磁性是怎么一回事。
• His success showed his magnetism of courage and devotion.他的成功表现了他的胆量和热诚的魅力。

10 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。

11 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。