TED演讲:行星猎者的冒险(4)

One of the reasons NEOWISE is so valuable is that it sees the sky in the thermal¹ infrared².

NEOWISE有这样高价值的原因之一便是它使用红外感应观测天空。

That means that instead of seeing the sunlight that asteroids⁴ reflect, NEOWISE sees the heat that they emit.

这意味着NEOWISE看到的是小行星辐射的热量而不是它们反射的太阳光。

This is a vital capability⁵ since some asteroids are as dark as coal

这是一项很重要的能力，因为一些小行星像黑碳一样暗，

and can be difficult or impossible to spot with other telescopes.

其他的探测器很难或不可能发现这类行星。

But all asteroids, light or dark, shine brightly for NEOWISE.

但所有亮或暗的行星对NEOWISE来说，都是发光的。

Astronomers⁶ are using every technique at their disposal to discover and study asteroids.

宇航员在使用一切可能的手段和技术去寻找并研究小行星。

In 2010, a historic milestone⁷ was reached.

2010年，我们达到了一个里程碑。

The community, together, discovered over 90 percent of asteroids bigger than one kilometer across

参与的组织共同发现直径大于一公里的百分之九十以上的小行星。

objects capable of massive destruction to Earth. But the job's not done yet.

这些物体能对地球造成巨大破坏。但是工作并没有结束。

An object 140 meters or bigger could decimate a medium-sized country.

一个140米宽或更大的物体能够摧毁一座中型城市。

So far, we've only found 25 percent of those.

迄今为止，我们只找到了它们中的四分之一。

We must keep searching the sky for near-Earth asteroids.

我们必须继续搜索天空，寻找近地小行星。

We are the only species able to understand calculus⁸ or build telescopes.

我们是唯一能理解微积分或制造望远镜的物种。

We know how to find these objects. This is our responsibility.

我们知道如何找到这些物体。这是我们的责任。

If we found a hazardous⁹ asteroid³ with significant early warning, we could nudge it out of the way.

如果我们发现一个极具危险性的小行星并提前发出有效警告，我们便可以把它推走。

Unlike earthquakes, hurricanes or volcanic¹⁰ eruptions¹¹,

不像地震，飓风或火山爆发，

an asteroid impact can be precisely¹² predicted and prevented.

行星所产生的影响是可以被准确预测并预防的。

What we need to do now is map near-Earth space.

我们现在所需的是将地球附近的太空准确标记。

We must keep searching the sky. Thank you.

所以，我们必须继续对天空的搜索。谢谢。

1 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

2 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

3 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

4 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

5 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

6 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》

7 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

8 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

9 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

10 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

11 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

12 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。