如果月球是个迪斯科球会怎样？：英语精读讲义

Hey, Vsauce.

嘿，Vsauce。

Michael here.

我是 Michael。

If we turned the moon into a giant disco ball, 語法

如果我们把月球变成一个巨大的迪斯科球，

day and night would

那么白天和黑夜

not be a disco party.

都不会变成一场迪斯科派对。

Instead of diffusely reflecting sunlight onto all of us, 講解

它不会把阳光以漫反射的方式照向我们所有人，

a mirror-tiled moon would reflect specularly.

铺满镜面砖的月球会进行镜面反射。

You would be lucky to momentarily catch a single reflected beam of sunlight. 短語搭配

你得非常走运，才可能短暂捕捉到一束反射过来的阳光。

Now with the help of visuals by Nick from Yeti Dynamics, 短語搭配

现在，借助 Yeti Dynamics 的 Nick 制作的视觉画面，

who you should subscribe to immediately,

你应该立刻订阅他的频道，

let's see what would occur if a disco ball moon actually happened. 表達脈絡

让我们看看月球真的变成迪斯科球会发生什么。

Here's the Earth with an imaginary screen behind it,

这是地球，后面放着一块假想的屏幕，

so we can track the path of reflections from a disco ball moon. 語法

这样我们就能追踪迪斯科球月球反射光的路径。

Its 3,012 mirror tiles are 10 km thick 短語搭配

它的 3,012 块镜面砖厚达 10 公里，

and between 100 and 150 km across.

每块的宽度在 100 到 150 公里之间。

And as you can see, 表達脈絡

正如你所看到的，

the beams of sunlight they reflect

这些镜面砖反射出的阳光束

would only intersect with Earth briefly and rarely. 用詞

只会偶尔短暂地照到地球。

A few every month or so 短語搭配

大约每个月会有几束

would race past at more than 20,000 km a second.

以每秒超过 20,000 公里的速度飞驰而过。

From the surface of Earth,

从地球表面看，

they'd just be tiny flashes in the sky,

它们看起来只是天空中微小的闪光，

0.1% as bright as the regular sun, 語法

亮度仅为平时太阳的 0.1%，

and would last a fraction of a second. 短語搭配

而且只能持续几分之一秒。

The Earth, Sun, and Moon

地球、太阳和月球

just aren't in ideal locations for disco ball effects.

所处的位置实在不适合产生迪斯科球效果。

But if our disco ball moon was closer

但如果我们的迪斯科球月球离地球更近，

and orbited Earth not 384,000 km away,

绕地球运行时不是相距 384,000 公里，

but less than 450 as far as the International Space Station does,

而是像国际空间站那样，距离不到 450 公里，

it would be torn apart by gravitational tidal forces. 講解

它就会被引力产生的潮汐力撕碎。

Shoot. 語氣意圖

糟糕。

Also, the Moon doesn't really rotate from our perspective like a fun disco ball. 短語搭配

另外，从我们的视角看，月球其实并不会像有趣的迪斯科球那样转动。

It librates, 用詞

它会发生天平动，

but it's starting to look like instead of an awesome lunar party decoration,

但现在看来，它不但成不了超酷的月球派对装饰，

a disco ball moon would just be a lunar party pooper. 習語

迪斯科球月球反而会成为月球派对里的扫兴鬼。

So, for the sake of investigation, 短語搭配

所以，为了继续研究，

let's allow this disco ball moon to not be torn apart

我们就假定这颗迪斯科球月球不会被撕碎，

and allow it to spin in the sky. 語法

并让它在天空中旋转起来。

Now we're talking. 習語

这才像话嘛。

Occasionally, we would get glittery reflections of a dimmer image of the Sun.

偶尔，我们会看到粼粼闪光，映出一个较暗的太阳影像。

From the surface of Earth,

从地球表面看，

this is what we would see.

我们会看到这样的景象。

You know, being able to see Earth reflected is almost cooler. 語法

你知道吗，能看到地球的倒影，感觉几乎更酷。

It's like being a bacterium on a giant's face who's looking into a mirror. 表達脈絡

这就像你是一个待在巨人脸上的细菌，而巨人正对着镜子看自己。

You can see the giant,

你能看到巨人，

but not yourself. 語法

却看不到自己。

It kind of makes you feel small, 講解

这会让你觉得自己有点渺小，

but it would be a great way to take planetary selfies.

但这会是拍摄行星自拍照的绝佳方式。

So, let's watch a mirror the width of the Moon

那么，来看看一面和月球一样宽的镜子

orbit as close as the ISS does. 語法

在像国际空间站那么近的轨道上绕地球运行。

From the surface of Earth,

从地球表面看，

it would look like this.

它看起来会是这样。

The strobe lights around the edge,

至于边缘那些频闪灯，

by the way, 表達脈絡

顺便一提，

are 10 km across.

每盏都有 10 公里宽。

Pretty cool.

挺酷的。

Now, finally, let's take a look at the Moon 講解

最后，让我们从低轨道上看看月球

as a rotating disco ball from low orbit.

化作旋转的迪斯科球是什么样子。

The Moon is not a disco ball, 語法

月球不是迪斯科球，

and likely never will be.

而且很可能永远都不会是。

It's just a diffuse source of illumination.

它只是一个漫射光源。

But it's illuminating in a different way 習語

不过，从另一个角度看，这种想象也很有启发性：

to imagine what would occur if it actually happened.

想想如果它真的发生，会出现什么情况。

Woah.

哇。

And as always,

一如既往，

thanks for watching.

感谢观看。