【VOA慢速 11.29】月球上望遠鏡能探測宇宙中最古老恆星

歡迎來到今天的VOA慢速專區。

今天為大家帶來一則天文新聞。

American astronomers say new evidence supports the idea that a large telescope on the moon could study the oldest stars in the universe.

美國天文學家說有新的證據證明月球上的大型望遠鏡可以觀測到宇宙中最古老的恆星。

A group of international scientists proposed the idea to build such a telescope to NASA in 2008.

2008年一群國際科學家向NASA（美國航空航天局）提出建造這樣的望遠鏡的主意。

The U.S. space agency looked into the plan, but later decided against it.

美國宇航局調查了這個計劃，但是後來決定提出反對意見。

NASA said not enough supporting science on the earliest stars existed at the time.

NASA那時稱沒有足夠的科學證明最早的恆星存在。

Now, a group of astronomers at the University of Texas at Austin say

現在，德克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校的一群天文學家表示，

they have found new evidence that a telescope on the moon would be able to gather data on the first stars in the universe.

他們發現了新證據能夠證明月球上的望遠鏡可以收集宇宙中第一批恆星的數據信息。

The team, led by NASA Hubble Fellow Anna Schauer, is set to publish their research results in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

這些天文學家的領導者是哈勃研究員安娜·肖爾，他們將要在新的一期《天體物理學雜誌》上發表他們的研究結果。

The researchers named the device Ultimately Large Telescope.

研究人員把這一設備稱為「終極大望遠鏡」。

It would operate with a 100-meter mirror made out of liquid.

它在一面由液體做成的直徑100米的鏡面上工作。

It could receive power from a solar power collection station on the moon and send data to a satellite in lunar orbit.

它可以吸收月球上太陽能收集站的能量以及給繞月航道上的衛星發送數據。

A mirror made of liquid is lighter than a glass one and less costly to transport to the moon.

液體製成的鏡子比玻璃材料的輕，而且運送到月球上的成本也低。

The astronomers say the liquid would include metallic material for effective reflection.

天文學家表示這種液體中將包含金屬材料，可以實現有效反射。

The team is proposing that the telescope could be placed inside a crater at the moon's north or south pole.

該團隊正提議將望遠鏡放置在月球的北極或者南極的隕坑裡。

The device would study the first stars by centering on the same area of sky continuously,

望遠鏡會以同一片太空區域為中心研究連續通過這片區域的第一批恆星，

in an effort "to collect as much light from them as possible," the scientists said in a statement.

以努力「從恆星那裡收集儘可能多的光線，」科學家在一份聲明中說道。

The first stars in the universe are believed to have formed more than 13 billion years ago.

人們認為宇宙中的第一批恆星成形於130億多年前。

The stars are thought to have formed after the Big Bang – the large explosion that many scientists believe created the universe.

這些恆星被認為是在大爆炸之後形成的，許多科學家認為大爆炸創造了宇宙。

The team says these stars were born out of a mix of hydrogen and helium gas.

該團隊表示這些恆星是在氫氣和氦氣混合體中誕生的。

They are likely 10 to 100 times larger than our sun.

它們可能比我們的太陽大10到100倍。

Volker Bromm is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a leader of the project.

沃爾克·布羅姆是德克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校教授，也是這個項目的領導。

"We live in a universe of stars," he said in a statement.

他在一份聲明中說道：「我們生活在恆星組成的宇宙中。」

But an important remaining question is "how star formation got going early in cosmic history," he added.

但是現存很重要的一個問題是：「恆星在宇宙早期是如何形成的，」他補充道。

The scientists say their moon-based observer would be able to gather data on the oldest stars, which no other telescope is equipped to do.

科學家們表示放置在月球上的觀測器能夠收集最古老恆星的數據，這是其他望遠鏡做不到的。

NASA has plans to send the James Webb Space Telescope, its newest telescope, to space in October 2021.

NASA計劃在2021年10月將他們最新的詹姆斯-韋伯太空望遠鏡送入太空。

The launch of the James Webb has been delayed many times.

詹姆斯-韋伯望遠鏡的發射已經推遲了好幾次了。

NASA says the telescope is designed to look deeper into space and offer more answers about the past than any other spacecraft.