万物简史 第241期:马斯特-马克的夸克(13)

 　　Hubble realized that this could be expressed with a simple equation, Ho = v/d (where Ho is the constant, v is the recessional velocity¹ of a flying galaxy², andd its distance away from us). Ho has been known ever since as the Hubble constant and the whole as Hubble's Law. Using his formula, Hubble calculated that the universe was about two billion years old, which was a little awkward because even by the late 1920s it was fairly obvious that many things within the universe— not least Earth itself—were probably older than that. Refining this figure has been an ongoing³ preoccupation of cosmology.

　　哈勃发现，这可以用个简单的等式来加以表示：Ho=v/d（Ho是常数，v是星系飞离的速度，d是它离开我们的距离）。自那以后，Ho一直被称之为哈勃常数，整个等式被称之为哈勃定律。哈勃利用自己的等式，计算出宇宙的年龄大约为20亿年。这个数字有点儿别扭，因为即使到20世纪20年代末，情况已经越来越明显，宇宙里的许多东西──很可能包括地球本身──的年龄都要比它大。完善这个数字是宇宙学界一直关心的事情。

　　夸克

　　Almost the only thing constant about the Hubble constant has been the amount of disagreement over what value to give it. In 1956, astronomers⁵ discovered that Cepheid variables were more variable than they had thought; they came in two varieties, not one. This allowed them to rework their calculations and come up with a new age for the universe of from 7 to 20 billion years—not terribly precise, but at least old enough, at last, to embrace the formation of the Earth.

　　关于哈勃常数，惟一常年不变的是对它的评价意见不一。1956年，天文学家们发现，造父变星比他们认为的还要变化多端；造父变星可以分为两类，而不是一类。于是，他们重新进行计算，得出宇宙新的年龄大约为70亿年到200亿年──不是特别精确，但至少相当古老，终于可以把地球的形成涵盖其中。

　　In the years that followed there erupted a long-running dispute between Allan Sandage, heir to Hubble at Mount Wilson, and Gerard de Vaucouleurs, a French-born astronomer⁴ based at the University of Texas. Sandage, after years of careful calculations, arrived at a value for the Hubble constant of 50, giving the universe an age of 20 billion years. De Vaucouleurs was equally certain that the Hubble constant was 100.

　　在此后的几年里，爆发了一场旷日持久的争论，一方是哈勃在威尔逊山天文台的继承人阿伦·桑德奇，另一方是法国出生的、得克萨斯大学的天文学家热拉尔·德·沃库勒。桑德奇经过几年的精心计算以后，得出哈勃常数的值为50，宇宙的年龄为200亿年。沃库勒同样很有把握，哈勃常数为100。

1 velocity   

n.速度，速率

参考例句：

• Einstein's theory links energy with mass and velocity of light.爱因斯坦的理论把能量同质量和光速联系起来。
• The velocity of light is about 300000 kilometres per second.光速约为每秒300000公里。

2 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

5 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》