如何移動太陽：恆星引擎：英語精讀講義

Nothing in the universe is static.

宇宙中沒有什麼是靜止的。

In the Milky Way, billions of stars orbit the galactic center.

在銀河系中，數十億顆恆星圍繞著銀河系中心運轉。

Some, like our sun, are pretty consistent,

有些恆星，比如我們的太陽，非常穩定，

keeping a distance of around 30,000 light years from the galactic center,

與銀心保持著大約3萬光年的距離，

completing an orbit every 230 million years.

每2.3億年完成一次公轉。

This dance is not an orderly ballet, 慣用語

這場舞蹈並非井然有序的芭蕾，

more like a skating rink filled with drunk toddlers.

而更像是一個擠滿醉酒幼兒的溜冰場。

This chaos makes the galaxy dangerous.

這種混亂讓銀河系充滿了危險。

Our solar neighborhood is constantly changing,

我們的太陽系鄰居在不斷變化，

with stars moving hundreds of kilometers every second.

恆星以每秒數百公里的速度移動。

Only the vast distances between objects

只有天體之間廣闊的距離

protect us from the dangers out there.

才能保護我們免受外面的危險。

But we might get unlucky in the future.

但在未來，我們可能會倒楣。

At some point, we could encounter a star going supernova, 用詞

在某個時候，我們可能會遇到一顆爆發超新星的恆星，

or a massive object passing by

或者一個巨大的天體路過

and showering Earth with asteroids. 用詞

讓地球下起小行星雨。

If something like this were to happen, 文法

如果真的發生這樣的事，

we would likely know thousands, 表達脈絡

我們可能會提前幾千年

if not millions of years in advance.

甚至幾百萬年知道。

But we still couldn't do much about it,

但我們仍然無能為力，

unless we move our whole solar system out of the way. 片語搭配

除非我們把整個太陽系移開。

To move the solar system,

要移動太陽系，

we need a Stellar Engine, 文化背景

我們需要一臺恆星引擎，

a megastructure used to steer a star through the galaxy. 文法

這是一個用來駕駛恆星穿越星系的巨型結構。

It's the kind of thing that might be built by an advanced civilization

這大概是先進文明才會建造的東西，

with Dyson sphere level technology 文化背景

他們擁有戴森球等級的技術，

that's thinking about their future millions of years ahead of time. 片語搭配

並且在提前數百萬年思考他們的未來。

But how do we possibly move the hundreds of thousands of objects in the solar system? 表達脈絡

但是，我們該如何移動太陽系中的數十萬個天體呢？

The good news is, 表達脈絡

好消息是，

we can ignore all of that.

我們可以忽略所有那些東西。

We only need to move the sun.

我們只需要移動太陽。

All the other stuff is glued to it by gravity 慣用語

其他所有物質都被引力「黏」在太陽上，

and will follow it wherever it decides to go.

並且會跟隨它去任何它決定去的地方。

There are lots of ideas about what a Stellar Engine might look like 文法

關於恆星引擎是什麼樣子，

and how it would work.

以及它如何運作，有很多想法。

We've picked two grounded in our current understanding of physics 片語搭配

我們基於目前的物理學認知挑選了兩個，

that could be built in theory. 片語搭配

理論上可以建造。

The simplest kind of Stellar Engine is the Shkadov thruster, 文化背景

最簡單的一種恆星引擎是什卡多夫推進器，

a giant mirror.

是一面巨大的鏡子。

It works on the same principle as a rocket. 片語搭配

它的運作原理和火箭一樣。

Like rocket fuel,

就像火箭燃料一樣，

the photons released as solar radiation

作為太陽輻射釋放的光子

carry momentum.

帶有動量。

Not a lot,

動量不大，

but a bit.

但有一點。

For example,

例如，

if an astronaut turned on a flashlight in space, 文法

如果太空人在太空中打開手電筒，

it would push them backwards very very slowly.

它會非常、非常緩慢地把他們向後推。

A Stellar Engine will work a little better than a flashlight

恆星引擎的運作效果會比手電筒好一點，

because the sun produces a lot of photons.

因為太陽能產生大量光子。

The basic idea of the Shkadov thruster

什卡多夫推進器的基本理念

is to reflect up to half of the solar radiation 用詞

是反射多達一半的太陽輻射，

to create thrust and slowly push the sun where we want it to go.

從而產生推力，慢慢將太陽推向我們想去的地方。

In order for the Shkadov thruster to work, 文法

為了讓什卡多夫推進器起作用，

it must be kept in the same place,

它必須保持在同一個地方，

not orbiting the sun.

而不是繞著太陽轉。

Although the sun's gravity will try to pull it in,

儘管太陽的引力會試圖將它拉過去，

it would be supported by radiation pressure, 用詞

但它會受到輻射壓的支撐，

which props the mirror up. 片語動詞

輻射壓支撐著這面鏡子。

This means the mirror would have to be very light,

這意味著鏡子必須非常輕，

made of micron thin

由微米級厚度的

reflecting foil

反射箔製成，

from materials like aluminum alloys.

材料可以是鋁合金之類。

The mirror's shape is important, too.

鏡子的形狀也很重要。

Enveloping the sun in a giant spherical shell

用一個巨大的球殼包裹太陽

wouldn't work

是行不通的，

because that would refocus light back to the sun,

因為那會把光重新聚焦回太陽，

heating it up

讓它升溫，

and creating all sorts of unpleasant problems.

並造成各種令人不快的問題。

Instead,

相反，

we use a parabola,

我們使用拋物面，

which sends most of the photons around the sun

將大部分光子繞過太陽

and in the same direction,

射向同一個方向，

which maximizes thrust.

從而使推力最大化。

To prevent accidentally burning or freezing Earth

為了防止過強或過弱的陽光

with too much or too little sunlight, 文法

意外烤焦或凍結地球，

the only safe place to build a Shkadov thruster is over the sun's poles.

建造什卡多夫推進器唯一安全的地方是太陽兩極上方。

This means we can only move the sun vertically

這意味著我們只能垂直移動太陽

in the plane of the solar system

在太陽系的平面內，

and one direction in the Milky Way,

以及在銀河系中的一個方向，

which limits our travel options a bit.

這有點限制了我們的出行選擇。

But that is basically it.

但基本上就是這樣。

For a civilization capable of building a Dyson sphere,

對於有能力建造戴森球的文明來說，

this is a relatively simple endeavor.

這相對是一個簡單的嘗試。

Not complicated, 表達脈絡

並不複雜，

just very hard to build.

只是極難建造。

At full throttle, 用詞

在全功率運轉下，

the solar system could probably be moved by about a 100 light years

太陽系大概可以移動100光年左右

over 230 million years.

在2.3億年內。

Over a few billion years,

經過幾十億年，

it gives us near complete control over the sun's orbit in the galaxy.

它讓我們幾乎完全控制太陽在銀河系中的軌道。

But in the short term,

但在短期內，

this might not be fast enough to dodge a deadly supernova.

這個速度可能不足以躲避致命的超新星。

That's why we thought we could do better.

這就是為什麼我們認為我們可以做得更好。

So we asked our astrophysicist friend

於是我們問了我們的天體物理學家朋友，

if he could design a faster Stellar Engine for this video.

他是否能為這個影片設計一種更快的恆星引擎。

He did

他設計了，

and wrote a paper about it

並寫了一篇論文，

that's been published in a peer-reviewed journal. 文化背景

發表在了一本同行評審的期刊上。

You can find it in our sources document.

你可以在我們的資料文件裡找到它。

We're going to call at our new Stellar Engine the Caplan thruster.

我們要把這種新型恆星引擎叫做卡普蘭推進器。

It works a lot like a traditional rocket.

它的運作方式非常像傳統火箭。

Shoot exhaust one way 文法

往一個方向噴出廢氣

to push yourself the other.

就能向另一個方向推動自己。

It's a large space station platform

它是一個巨大的太空站平台，

powered by a Dyson sphere

由一個戴森球提供動力，

that gathers matter from the sun

該戴森球從太陽收集物質，

to power nuclear fusion.

為核融合提供動力。

It shoots out a very fast jet of particles

它噴射出非常快的粒子流，

at nearly 1% the speed of light

以接近光速1%的速度，

out of the solar system.

飛出太陽系。

A second jet pushes the sun along like a tugboat. 慣用語

第二股噴流像拖船一樣推動太陽前進。

The Caplan thruster requires a lot of fuel,

卡普蘭推進器需要大量燃料，

millions of tons per second.

每秒數百萬噸。

To gather this fuel,

為了收集這些燃料，

our thruster uses very large electromagnetic fields

我們的推進器利用巨大的電磁場，

to funnel hydrogen and helium from the solar wind into the engine. 用詞

將太陽風中的氫和氦匯集到引擎中。

The solar wind alone doesn't provide enough fuel, though,

然而，僅靠太陽風無法提供足夠的燃料，

and that's where the Dyson sphere comes in. 表達脈絡

於是戴森球派上了用場。

Using its power,

利用它的能量，

sunlight can be refocused to the surface of the sun.

陽光可以被重新聚焦到太陽表面。

This heats small regions to extreme temperatures,

這會將局部區域加熱到極高溫度，

lifting billions of tons of mass off the sun. 文法

使數十億噸物質脫離太陽。

This mass can be collected and separated into hydrogen and helium.

這些物質可以被收集起來，分離成氫和氦。

The helium is burned explosively in thermonuclear fusion reactors. 用詞

氦在熱核融合反應爐裡被爆炸性燃燒。

A jet of radioactive oxygen

一束放射性氧噴流

at a temperature of nearly a billion degrees

帶著近十億度的高溫

is expelled and becomes our primary source of propulsion

被排出，並成為我們主要推進力來源，

from our Stellar Engine.

來自我們的恆星引擎。

To prevent the engine from just crashing into the sun, 文法

為了防止引擎直接墜入太陽，

it needs to balance itself.

它需要保持平衡。

To do this,

為了做到這一點，

we accelerate the collected hydrogen with electromagnetic fields

我們用電磁場加速收集到的氫，

using particle accelerators

使用粒子加速器，

and shoot a jet back at the sun.

然後向太陽發射回一股噴流。

This balances the thruster

這能平衡推進器，

and transfers the thrust of our engine

並把我們引擎的推力

back to the sun.

傳遞回太陽。

In as little as a million years, 片語搭配

僅僅只需一百萬年，

this engine can move the sun by 50 light years,

這種引擎就可以把太陽移動50光年，

more than enough to dodge a supernova. 文法

這完全足夠躲避超新星了。

At full throttle,

在全功率下，

the solar system can be completely redirected

太陽系可以被完全重新導向

in its galactic orbit

在其銀河軌道上，

in 10 million years.

用時一千萬年。

But wait, 表達脈絡

但等等，

will we use up the sun this way?

這樣會消耗完太陽嗎？

Fortunately,

幸運的是，

the sun is so massive 文法

太陽質量如此之大，

that even billions of tons of material

以至於即便是幾十億噸的物質，

will barely scratch the surface. 慣用語

也只不過是九牛一毛。

In fact,

事實上，

this megastructure will actually extend our sun's life

這個巨型結構實際上會延長太陽的壽命，

since lower mass stars burn slower,

因為質量較小的恆星燃燒得更慢，

keeping the solar system inhabitable

讓太陽系保持適宜居住的狀態

for many more billions of years.

再延續幾十億年。

With a Caplan thruster,

有了卡普蘭推進器，

we could turn the entire solar system

我們就可以把整個太陽系

into our spaceship.

變成我們的太空船。

For example,

例如，

by orbiting backwards in the galaxy

透過在銀河系中逆向運轉，

and colonizing hundreds or thousands of stars

並在經過數以千計的恆星時

as we pass by them.

殖民它們。

It may even be possible to escape the galaxy entirely

甚至有可能完全逃離星系，

and expand beyond the Milky Way.

並向銀河系外擴張。

Stellar engines are the kind of machines built by civilizations

恆星引擎是那種高級文明才會建造的機器，

thinking not in terms of years or decades, 文法

他們的考量不以年或十年為單位，

but eons.

而是以萬古為單位。

Since we know that our sun will die one day,

既然我們知道太陽終有一天會死亡，

a Stellar Engine could allow the far future descendants of humans

一台恆星引擎或許能讓人類遙遠未來的後代

to travel to other stars

前往其他恆星，

without ever having to venture into the terrifying dark abyss 文法

而永遠不必冒險進入可怕的黑暗深淵

of interstellar space.

在那星際空間之中。

Until we build a Stellar Engine,

在我們建造出恆星引擎之前，

we're adrift and subject to the whims of the galactic sea. 慣用語

我們只能隨波逐流，受制於銀河之海的變幻莫測。

We may not like where it leads us.

我們可能不喜歡它帶我們去的地方。

Maybe our descendants will set sail

也許我們的後代會揚帆起航，

and become an interstellar species

成為一個星際物種

for millions of years to come.

在未來的幾百萬年裡。

This was our last video for the year 12,019 of the human era. 文化背景

這是我們在人類紀元12019年的最後一支影片。

And what a year it was. 文法

真是令人難忘的一年。

So much stuff happened everywhere,

到處都發生了好多事情，

to so many different people.

發生在那麼多不同的人身上。

Calendars and holidays are just imaginary,

日曆和假期都只是想像出來的，

but they help us to cut our lives into pieces 慣用語

但它們幫助我們把生活切成小塊，

that our brains can handle.

讓我們的腦袋更容易處理。

We're leaving 12,019 behind with a weird mixture of disillusion

我們正在把12019年拋在腦後，帶著一種奇怪的、混合著幻滅

and hope.

與希望的心情。

The world is screwed up, 用詞

這個世界搞砸了，

but we can fix it.

但我們可以修復它。

In a few days,

幾天之後，

this year will be over

這一年就結束了，

and we'll get to try again. 文法

我們又有了重新嘗試的機會。

Thank you for watching our videos

感謝您觀看我們的影片，

and for sticking around for so many years. 片語動詞

感謝您這麼多年來的陪伴。

See you all in 12,020.

我們12020年再見。