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60超大黑洞的噴射速度達光速的99%
This Massive Black Hole Is Blasting a Jet at 99%
超大黑洞的噴射速度達光速的99%
This Massive Black Hole Is Blasting a Jet at 99% the Speed of LightIn April of 2019, astronomers revealed
2019年4月 天文學家透露
they had successfully taken the first picture ever of a black hole.
他們第一次成功拍攝到黑洞的照片
Well, you know, the black hole’s silhouette at least,
你懂的 至少拍到了黑洞的輪廓
since it’s impossible to take a photo of a black hole itself
因為給黑洞本身拍照是不可能的
without crossing the event horizon and getting spaghetti-fied.
除非穿過事件視界 被引力拉成義大利麵
Now, astronomers have announced that the same black hole has been observed
如今 天文學家聲稱 觀測到同一黑洞
shooting jets of physical material out into space at insane speeds,
正以不可思議的速度向太空噴射物質
and at first glance,
一眼看上去
it looks like that material is traveling
似乎這種物質的運動速度
even faster than the speed of light.
甚至超過了光速
Wait what? That can’t be right.
等一下 那是不可能的
The black hole in question is M87*,
上述討論中的黑洞是M87星系黑洞
the supermassive black hole
一個超大質量黑洞
in the center of the enormous elliptical galaxy Messier 87.
位於超巨橢圓星系梅西耶87的中心
M87* is roughly 55 million light-years away
M87離我們約有5,500萬光年
and absolutely
它完全
dwarfs our own galaxy’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*.
讓銀河系的超大黑洞人馬座A相形見絀
While Sagittarius A* is about 4 million solar masses,
人馬座A重約400萬個太陽質量
M87* is in the neighborhood of 6.5 billion solar masses.
而M87重達大約65億個太陽質量
And from where we stand it looks like it’s getting bigger.
而且 以我們的視角看 M87還在變大
That glowing orange halo in the famous photo represents superheated gas and dust
照片中的橙色光環是過熱的氣體和塵埃
that’s orbiting and feeding the black hole.
它們在黑洞軌道上運行 並為其提供能量
This is what’s known as an accretion disk.
這就是所謂的的吸積盤
Some of that matter will fall into the black hole,
吸積盤中的部分物質會落入黑洞
but some of it gets shot off into space
還有一些會被噴射到宇宙中
in the form of jets spewing from the poles of the spinning black hole.
它們以噴流的形式 從黑洞的兩極噴出
We』ve known for some time that M87* has these jets streaming from its poles.
我們很早就發現M87的兩極存在這些噴流
It was as far back as 1918 when one astronomer first noted
早在1918年 就有一位天文學家發現
a 「curious straight ray」 coming from the galaxy.
有一道「奇特的準直射線」從M87星系裡產生
More recently, the Hubble Space telescope took multiple images
近日 哈勃太空望遠鏡在紅外線和可見光譜下
in the infrared and visible light spectra.
拍攝了多組圖像
The composite photo shows
合成照片顯示
a striking blue beam extending as far out as 5,000 light years
一道醒目的藍色光線綿延5,000光年
against the yellow glow from the combined light of billions of stars.
從億萬恆星發出的黃色光輝中脫穎而出
Knowing M87* is an active black hole with matter falling into it
M87是一個有物質持續落入的活躍黑洞
is actually one of the reasons astronomers picked it as their target to photograph,
這是天文學家將它作為拍攝對象的原因之一
unlike Sagittarius A* which is closer,
不像離我們更近的人馬座A黑洞
but obscured by the stars and dust in our own galaxy.
我們星系中的星體和塵埃讓它模糊不清
So yes, we』ve taken pictures of M87*’s jet of matter before,
對 我們以前拍到過M87的噴流
but this is the first time
但這是第一次
scientists have observed it in the X-ray spectrum in such fine detail.
科學家們能在X射線譜圖中觀察到這麼微小的細節
X-ray light confirms that what’s moving at extreme velocities in the jet is actually physical material,
X射線證明噴流中高度運動的是物質
as opposed to something else, like shock waves.
而不是其他形態 比如衝擊波
How fast was the material moving?
這種物質的速度有多快？
Well, the material isn’t shot off in one continuous beam,
這種物質的發射形式不是一個連續的光束
but rather in clumps…like bubble tea through a straw.
而是成簇發射的 就像吸管中的珍珠奶茶
The astronomers observed a clump farther along in the beam
天文學家觀察到 光束中較遠一簇物質
traveling at 2.4 times the speed of light,
正以2.4倍光速運動
while another mass of matter closer to M87*
而另一簇靠近M87的物質
appeared to be moving at 6.3 times the speed of light.
看起來是以6.3倍光速在運動
But hold on—something doesn’t add up here.
但稍等一下——這裡說不通
We know for a fact that these clumps we’re looking at are solid matter
我們肯定這些團簇是固體物質
thanks to the X-ray imaging,
X射線成像說明了這一點
and we also know that nothing with mass can travel the speed of light
我們也知道 沒有固體物質能以光速傳播
let alone multiple times faster.
更不用說比光速快幾倍了
Well, it turns out those ludicrous speeds are a product of an optical illusion.
結果證明 那些不合理的速度只是一種觀測錯覺
the angle the jet is being shot towards us and the material’s extreme speed
觀測與噴射形成的角度和物質的極限速度
produces what’s called superluminal motion,
是造成所謂「超光速運動」的原因
but really no laws of physics are being broken.
但實際上 它沒有打破任何物理定律
Still, the material is really shifting.
不過 那些物質確實在位移
Taking the illusion of superluminal motion into account,
把「超光速運動」的錯覺考慮在內
the researchers still estimate sections of the jet of matter
研究人員仍然估計 噴流物質的部分
are traveling at over 99% light speed.
運動速度超過光速的99%
They think that the material gets funneled up
他們認為這些物質以漏鬥狀
to the poles of the rotating black hole
集中到不停自旋的黑洞的兩極
and shot out by following its twisting magnetic field lines.
然後沿著螺旋狀的磁力線射出
The blue glow is generated by electrons traveling along the spiral path,
沿著旋轉路逕行進的電子產生了藍色光束
a process called synchrotron radiation.
這一過程被稱為同步輻射
Now, I’m sure some of you may be disappointed to learn
現在 我知道你們有些人可能會很失望
that the material isn’t actually traveling at over 6 times the speed of light.
因為實際上這種物質並沒有以六倍光速運動
There goes our hopes of faster than light travel.
而我們希望比光速更快
But the dreamers and optimists among you may hear that
但你們中的夢想家和樂天派也許聽到了
supermassive black holes still accelerate matter to over 99% light speed
超大質量黑洞能將物質加速到光速的99%以上
and think that sounds like a pretty good deal.
覺得它聽起來很不錯
Maybe you’re thinking we could harness it for space travel one day
你也許認為 它總有一天能被應用於太空旅行
like a Mass Relay in Mass Effect.
就像《質量效應》中的質量中繼器那樣
Just remember though
不過別忘了
that the material was only shot out at those great speeds
物質以如此高速噴出的條件是
after becoming superheated
需要物質
and turned into plasma by the friction of other matter
和吸積盤周圍旋轉的其他物質磨擦變得過熱
swirling around the accretion disk.
最終變成等離子體才行
So, while M87* and its jet of matter may make for good sci-fi fodder,
因此 儘管M87和它的物質噴射可能是很好的科幻素材
it’s probably best to admire it only in pretty pictures.
但也許最好只是在圖片上欣賞一下就行了
Fun fact,
有趣的是
the jet of matter shot out by the black holes
有人相信黑洞造成的物質噴射
are believed to be the source of the fastest moving particles in the universe—
能產生宇宙中運動速度最快的粒子——
Cosmic rays.
宇宙射線
So, a super massive black hole
所以 用一個超大質量黑洞
is a bad option to drive a spaceship.
驅動宇宙飛船不是一個好的選擇
But what about a tiny white hole?
那一個小質量白洞怎麼樣？
Check out my video on that, here.
請觀看我在本欄目的相關視頻
Thanks for watching, make sure to subscribe.
感謝觀看 敬請關注
And if you like this video, I』ll see you next time on Seeker.
如果你喜歡本期視頻 我們下期《探索新聞臺》再見
資源來源於：FreeSchool
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