特别广播英语第 126 课：Black Holes 黑洞-2

For example, if a man fell into a black hole, he would think that he reached the center of it very quickly. However an observer at the event horizon would think that the man never reached the center at all. 例如：如果一个人掉进黑洞，他会认为自己很快就达到了其核心，但在"事界"的观察者则认为这个人根本不会到达黑洞的核心。

Our space and time laws don't seem to apply to objects in the area of a black hole. Einstein's relativity theory is the only one which can explain such phenomena. 我们的时空规律看起来不适于黑洞里的物体。爱因斯坦的相对论是唯一可以解释这种现象的理论。

Einstein claimed that matter and energy are interchangeable, so that there is no "absolute" time and space. There are no constants at all, and measurements of time and space depend on the position of the observer. They are relative. 爱因斯坦声称物质和能量是可以互相转化的，因此就没有绝对的时间和空间，根本不存在永恒，时间和空间的衡量取决于观测者所在的位置，它们是相对的。

We do not yet fully understand the implications of the relativity theory; but it is interesting that Einstein's theory provided a basis for the idea of black holes before astronomers started to find some evidence for their existence.我们还没有完全理解相对论的含义，但有意思的是，在天文学家的着手发现黑洞的存在证据之前，爱因斯坦就提供了黑洞这种想法的基础。

It is only recently that astronomers have begun specific research into black hole. In august 1977, a satellite was launched to gather data about the 10 million black holes which are thought to be in the Milky Way. 天只是近来科学家才开始对黑洞的具体研究。1977年8月，发射了一颗卫星去收集关于被认为是在银河系的一千万个黑洞的数据。

And astronomers are planning a new observatory to study the individual exploding stars believed to be black holes. 文学家正在计划一个新的天文台以研究个别的正在爆炸的被相信要变为黑洞的星球。

The most convincing evidence of black holes comes from research into binary star systems. 黑洞最有说服力的证据来自对双星系的研究。

Binary stars, as their name suggests, are twin stars whose position in space affects each other. 双星，正如它们的名字所表明的，是两颗在空间位置上互相影响的星球。

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In some binary systems, astronomers have shown that there is an invisible companion star, a "partner" to the one which we can see in the sky. 在一些双星系里，天文学家已经表示这里有一颗看不到的伴星，即我们可以在天空中看到的一颗星球的伙伴。

Matter from the one which we can see is being pulled towards the companion star. 来自我们的看到的星球的物质正被吸引到伴星去。

Could this invisible star, which exerts such a great force, be a black hole? 这颗产生如此巨大力量的看不见的星球会是黑洞吗？

Astronomers have evidence of a few other stars too, which might have black holes as companions. 天文学家还有其它一些星球的证据，这些星球可能与黑洞相伴。

The story of black holes is just beginning. Speculations about them are endless. 对黑洞的研究刚刚开始，各种推测会层出不穷。

There might be a massive black hole at the center of our galaxy swallowing up stars at a very rapid rate. 在我们银河系的中心很可能存在着一个巨大的黑洞正以极快的速度吞食着星球。

Mankind may one day meet this fate. On the other hand, scientists have suggested that very advanced technology could one day make use of the energy of black holes for mankind. 人类有一天也会面临被吞食的命运。而科学家提出，有一天高科技利用轩洞的能量为人类服务。

These speculations sound like science fiction. But the theory of black holes in space is accepted by many serious scientists and astronomers. 这些设想听起来像科幻小说，但空间中黑洞的理论被许多严谨的科学家和天文学家接受。

They show us a world which operates in a totally different way from our own and they question our most basic experience of space and time. 他们向我们展示了一个以完全不同于我们理解的方式运行的世界，并对我们最基本的时空经验提出了疑问。