Spitzer091006：发现围绕土星的最大光环

Spitzer空间望远镜的这个发现肯定算今年的重大天文发现了。
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/index.shtml

NASA Space Telescope Discovers Largest Ring Around Saturn
NASA的太空望远镜发现了土星的最大光环
For Release: October 06, 2009
发表时间：2009.10.6

                               
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered an enormous ring around Saturn — by far the largest of the giant planet's many rings.
美国宇航局的斯皮策空间望远镜已经发现了土星的一个极大的光环——比这颗巨行星的其他光环远得多、大得多。

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/release.shtml

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered an enormous ring around Saturn — by far the largest of the giant planet's many rings.
加利福尼亚州帕萨迪纳市，美国宇航局有关人员在此宣布，斯皮策空间望远镜已经发现了土星的一个极大的光环——比这颗巨行星的其他光环远得多、大得多。
The new belt lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system, with an orbit tilted 27 degrees from the main ring plane. The bulk of its material starts about six million kilometers (3.7 million miles) away from the planet and extends outward roughly another 12 million kilometers (7.4 million miles). One of Saturn's farthest moons, Phoebe,circles within the new found ring, and is likely the source of its material.
这个新环带远离土星系统，并与主光环面有27°的夹角。新光环的大部分物质起始于离土星600万km处，延伸到1200万km外。土星最遥远的卫星之一——土卫九轨道位于新发现的环带内，貌似环内物质的来源。
Saturn's newest halo is thick, too — its vertical height is about 20 times the diameter of the planet. It would take about one billion Earths stacked together to fill the ring.
土星新光环也很厚——垂直厚度约相当于20个土星。这个环所占空间装得下10亿个地球。
"This is one supersized ring," said Anne Verbiscer, an astronomer at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. "If you could see the ring, it would span the width of two full moons' worth of sky, one on either side of Saturn." Verbiscer; Douglas Hamilton of the University of Maryland, College Park; and Michael Skrutskie, of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, are authors of a paper about the discovery to be published online tomorrow by the journal Nature.
查格特维尔市，维吉尼亚州立大学天文学家 安妮.Verbiscer说：“这真是个超级巨环！如果你能看见它们，它们将在土星两边各延伸2个满月的宽度。”安妮.Verbiscer和同校的迈克尔.史古斯基、马里兰大学帕克学院的道格拉斯.汉密尔顿等，是将于明日公布在《自然》期刊上的此发现的共同作者。
An artist's concept of the newfound ring is online at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_page ... zer-20091007a.html.
新发现的光环的艺术概念图可以访问这个NASA网址: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/multimedia/spitzer-20091007a.html
The ring itself is tenuous, made up of a thin array of ice and dust particles. Spitzer's infrared eyes were able to spot the glow of the band's cool dust. The telescope, launched in 2003, is currently 107 million kilometers (66 million miles) from Earth in orbit around the sun.
新光环是由非常稀疏的冰粒和尘埃粒子组成的。斯皮策的红外“眼”能看到环带中寒冷尘埃的辐射。这个望远镜于2003年发射，当前在离地球1.07亿km的环绕太阳的轨道上运行。
The discovery may help solve an age-old riddle of one of Saturn's moons. Iapetus has a strange appearance — one side is bright and the other is really dark, in a pattern that resembles the yin-yang symbol.The astronomer Giovanni Cassini first spotted the moon in 1671, and years later figured out it has a dark side, now named Cassini Regio in his honor. A stunning picture of Iapetus taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft is online athttp://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08384.
新发现可能有助于解答土星某个卫星的长期之谜。土卫八的外观相当奇特：一面很明亮，而另一面相当的暗，就像一条阴阳鱼。1671年天文学家乔凡尼·卡西尼首先发现土卫8，数年后更指出其有个暗面，为表彰他的发现，此暗区现称为卡西尼区。由卡西尼探测器拍摄的土卫8的壮观照片可参阅这个链接:  http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08384

                               
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Saturn's newest addition could explain how Cassini Regio came to be.The ring is circling in the same direction as Phoebe, while Iapetus,the other rings and most of Saturn's moons are all going the opposite way. According to the scientists, some of the dark and dusty material from the outer ring moves inward toward Iapetus, slamming the icy moonlike bugs on a windshield.
土星的这个新成员能够解释卡西尼区是如何形成的。光环与土卫9运行方向相同，但与包括土卫八在内的大部分土星卫星和土星主要光环反向。这提示科学家：就像虫子落在挡风玻璃上一样，外环中的黑暗尘埃微粒也会移向土卫八，并溅落在其冰冻表面上。
"Astronomers have long suspected that there is a connection between Saturn's outer moon Phoebe and the dark material on Iapetus," said Hamilton. "This new ring provides convincing evidence of that relationship."
汉密尔顿说：“天文学家一直怀疑存在一个连接土星的外围卫星——土卫九与土卫八上黑暗物质之间的纽带，新环就提供了这个联系的证据。”
Verbiscer and her colleagues used Spitzer's longer-wavelength infrared camera, called the multiband imaging photometer, to scan through a patch of sky far from Saturn and a bit inside Phoebe's orbit.The astronomers had a hunch that Phoebe might be circling around in a belt of dust kicked up from its minor collisions with comets — a process similar to that around stars with dusty disks of planetary debris. Sure enough, when the scientists took a first look at their Spitzer data, a band of dust jumped out.
Verbiscer和她的同事使用斯皮策的长波红外照相机——多频带图像光度计（MIPS），搜索远离土星、稍位于土卫九轨道内的空间。天文学家预感到土卫九可能有一个尘埃环带——因其与彗星的小型碰撞产生，就像新恒星附近尘埃盘中的星子碰撞一样。果然，科学家才审视他们的斯皮策观测数据，尘埃环就跳出来了。
The ring would be difficult to see with visible-light telescopes.Its particles are diffuse and may even extend beyond the bulk of the ring material all the way in to Saturn and all the way out to interplanetary space. The relatively small numbers of particles in the ring wouldn't reflect much visible light, especially out at Saturn where sunlight is weak.
这个光环很难被光学望远镜发现。光环微粒是如此的弥散以致于它们从土星一直延伸到行星间空间。环中稀少的微粒数量仅反射极少的阳光，尤其在土星（轨道区）这样阳光微弱的所在。
"The particles are so far apart that if you were to stand in the ring, you wouldn't even know it," said Verbiscer.
“微粒间距实在太大了。如果你能置身于此环中，你甚至感觉不到这点。”Verbiscer说。
Spitzer was able to sense the glow of the cool dust, which is only about 80 Kelvin (minus 316 degrees Fahrenheit). Cool objects shine within frared, or thermal radiation; for example, even a cup of ice cream is blazing with infrared light. "By focusing on the glow of the ring's cool dust, Spitzer made it easy to find," said Verbiscer.
故此斯皮策望远镜能感知到80K以上的寒冷尘埃的辐射。寒冷的尘埃微粒发射红外光，或者说热辐射；例如，既使一杯冰激凌也在辐射红外光。Verbiscer补充道：“通过专注于寒冷尘埃的热辐射，斯皮策望远镜能方便的发现它们。”
These observations were made before Spitzer ran out of coolant in May and began its "warm" mission.
本观测早在今年5月斯皮策望远镜耗尽其制冷剂并开始“温暖”任务之前已经完成。

Whitney Clavin 818-354-4673
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
加利福尼亚州帕萨迪纳市，喷气推进实验室
whitney.clavin@jpl.nasa.gov
ssc2009-19
jpl2009-150

Printable version (PDF) of this release
本观测报告的PDF新闻文件下载链接：http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/ssc2009-19.pdf     (仅是新闻稿，还不如我这篇文章内容多——gohomeman1注)

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/ssc2009-19a.shtml

Infrared Ring Around Saturn
围绕土星的红外光环

                               
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This diagram highlights a slice of Saturn's largest ring. The ring (red band in inset photo) was discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope,which detected infrared light, or heat, from the dusty ring material.Spitzer viewed the ring edge-on from its Earth-trailing orbit around the sun.
本图高亮显示了土星的大光环的一个片段。图中的红色大环由美国宇航局（NASA）的斯皮策（Spitzer）空间望远镜发现，它通过观测环中尘埃物质的红外光（又称热辐射）发现了它们。Spitzer卫星在围绕太阳运转的地球轨道上观测到了环的侧面。
The ring has a diameter equivalent to 300 Saturns lined up side to side. And it's thick too -- about 20 Saturns could fit into its vertical height. The ring is tilted about 27 degrees from Saturn's mainring plane.
大光环相当于300个土星从一端排到另一端，而且它也很厚——垂直高度相当于20个土星叠起来。大光环与土星主要的光环平面有27°的倾角。
The Spitzer data were taken by its multiband imaging photometer and show infrared light with a wavelength of 24 microns.
Spitzer图像由其多频带摄像光度计（MIPS）获得，红外拍摄波段为24微米。
The picture of Saturn was taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
本图中的土星图像来自NASA的哈勃太空望远镜。

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/ssc2009-19b.shtml
The King of Rings
光环之王

                               
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This diagram illustrates the extent of the largest ring around Saturn,discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The ring is huge, and far from the gas planet and the rest of its majestic rings.
本插图示意了由斯皮策空间望远镜发现的土星大光环的范围。这个环非常庞大，远离气态巨星和它的主要光环。
The bulk of the ring material starts about six million kilometers (3.7million miles) away from the planet and extends outward roughly another 12 million kilometers (7.4 million miles). The diameter of the ring is equivalent to 300 Saturns lined up side to side. The ring is thick too-- it's about 20 times as thick as the diameter of the planet. In fact,the entire volume of the ring is big enough to hold one billion Earths!
这个光环的大部分物质起始于离土星600万km处，延伸到1200万km外。大光环直径约300个土星，也很厚——约相当于20个土星。事实上，这个环所占空间装得下10亿个地球。   
Saturn's newest halo is tilted at about 27 degrees from the main ringplane and encompasses the orbit of the moon Phoebe. Both the ring and Phoebe orbit in the opposite direction of Saturn's other rings and most of its moons, including Titan and Iapetus.
土星这个最新的光环与主要光环面有着27°的倾角，整个环面与土卫九的轨道相合。新环和土卫9的运行方向与土星主光环以及包括较大的土卫六和土卫八的大部分卫星的方向相反。
Why did it take so long to find something so big? The answer is that the ring is very tenuous, made up of a sparse collection of ice and dust particles. If you could transport yourself to the ring, you wouldn't even know you were there because the particles are so far apart. There's not a lot of sunlight out at Saturn, so this small density of particles doesn't reflect much visible light. Spitzer was able to spot the band because it sees infrared light, or heat radiation, from objects. Even though the ring material is very cold, it still gives off heat that can Spitzer can see.
为何发现如此巨大的天体还花了这么长时间呢？答案是新光环是由非常稀疏的冰粒和尘埃粒子组成的。如果你能置身于此环中，你甚至感觉不到这点，因为微粒间距太远了。土星轨道附近本身阳光就弱，如此稀疏的微粒就只能反射很少的可见光了。斯皮策望远镜能发现环带是因为它能看到红外光，或者说是物体本身的热辐射。即使尘埃非常寒冷，它发出的“热”辐射仍能被斯皮策卫星发现。
The discovery offers a possible solution to the mystery of the moon Iapetus. Years after Giovanni Cassini discovered Iapetus in 1671, he correctly deduced that one side of the moon is white and the other dark in a pattern that some say resembles the yin-yang symbol or a tennis ball. Astronomers think it is possible that the new found ring, which orbits in the opposite direction of Iapetus, is the cause of the two-faced coloring. As the ring circles around, particles could be drifting inward and splattering the icy moon on the face like bugs on a windshield.
这个发现给土卫八之谜提供了一个可能的解释。自1671年乔凡尼·卡西尼发现土卫8以来，他就正确指出这个卫星一面是白的一面是暗的，就像一条阴阳鱼或者一个网球。天文学家猜测与土卫八逆向运行的新光环能解释这个卫星两面颜色不同的原因：就像虫子落在挡风玻璃上一样，环中的微粒也会溅落在土卫八的冰冻表面上。（此处有一个隐含的条件：由于土星的强大引力和潮汐力，土卫八持续以一个面朝向土星——gohomeman1注）
The pictures of Saturn, Phoebe and Iapetus were taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The ring is an artist's illustration.
土星、土卫八的图像来自卡西尼探测器。光环是艺术概念图。
The size of Phoebe relative to Iapetus has been enlarged to better show Phoebe. Phoebe is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) in diameter, while Iapetus is about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) across.
土卫九与土卫八相比明显放大以便更好的显示。土卫9直径约200km，而土卫8直径约1500km。

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/ssc2009-19c.shtml
Artist's Rendering of Saturn's Infrared Ring
土星红外光环的艺术渲染图

                               
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This artist's conception shows a nearly invisible ring around Saturn --the largest of the giant planet's many rings. It was discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
本艺术概念图展示的是土星几乎看不见的光环——也是这个气态巨星诸多光环中的最大者。它由NASA的斯皮策空间望远镜发现。
The ring is so diffuse that it reflects little sunlight, or visible light that we see with our eyes. But its dusty particles shine within frared light, or heat radiation, that Spitzer can see.
这个光环是如此的弥散以致于仅反射极少的阳光，我们尚不能在可见光区域看到它。但它的尘埃微粒发射红外光，或者说热辐射，故此斯皮策卫星能看到它。
The artist's conception simulates an infrared view of the giant ring.Saturn appears as just a small dot from outside the band of ice and dust. The bulk of the ring material starts about six million kilometers(3.7 million miles) away from the planet and extends outward roughly another 12 million kilometers (7.4 million miles). The ring's diameteris equivalent to roughly 300 Saturns lined up side to side.
本艺术概念图模拟了在红外光下观测的巨环效果。与由冰粒和尘埃构成的外环比，土星不过是个小点。环起始于离土星约600万km处，并延伸到1200万km外。外环直径约相当于300个土星。  
The inset shows an enlarged image of Saturn, as seen by the W.M. Keck Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, in infrared light. The ring, stars and wispy clouds are an artist's representation.
本图中放大的土星图像由夏威夷莫纳克亚山顶的凯克（Keck）望远镜的近红外波段拍摄。图中的光环、恒星和延伸的气体云都是艺术表现效果。

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/ssc2009-19v1.shtml
Saturn Family Tour
土星家族一览

                               
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This video showcases the Saturnian system, beginning with the planet itself and panning out to its newest addition -- an enormous ring discovered in infrared light by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
本段视频展示了土星系统，始于行星本身，结束于被NASA的斯皮策卫星发现的新的庞大光环。
The view starts with a simulated view of Saturn. It then moves outward,showing the orbits of many of Saturn's inner moons in green. The white lines show outer moons with orbits of varying inclinations.
我们的视野开始于一个模拟的土星，然后视线外移，展示了许多土星的内卫星（绿色轨道的），白线表示不同轨道倾角的外卫星们。
The yellow line shows the orbit of the moon Phoebe, which circles through the new found ring, represented in tan. Both Phoebe and the outer ring orbit at an angle of 27 degrees from the main ring plane(they also orbit in the opposite direction of the other rings and most of the moons).
黄线表示土卫九的轨道，其轨道穿过新发现的以黄褐色表示的环。土卫九和新环都与土星主光环平面成27°角，并逆行于主光环和大部分卫星。
The movie then zooms back into the system to show the orbit of the moon Iapetus in blue. Astronomers think that material from the outer ring is migrating in toward Iapetus, splattering its leading hemisphere. This would explain the moon's strange half-black, half-white appearance,first noted by Giovanni Cassini in the late seventeenth century.
视频接着回到蓝色的土卫八轨道展示了土星系统。天文学家猜测，外环的部分物质移向土卫八，并溅落在其（朝外的）半球上。这能解释这个卫星奇异的半白半黑的外貌，17世纪乔凡尼·卡西尼首先注意到这点。
Elements of this animation are courtesy SCISS in Sweden, and American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York.
视频部分素材来自位于纽约的美国自然历史博物馆和瑞典的SCISS。（一时找不到SCISS是什么机构，我猜测是瑞典的某个自然科学研究所，但不会是皇家科学院——gohomeman1注）

土星观光之旅的视频下载
http://ipac.jpl.nasa.gov/web_movies/pa/ssc2009-19v1_h264_hd.m4v   16.2MB

http://ipac.jpl.nasa.gov/web_movies/pa/ssc2009-19v1.mov    1280X720高清，大小我不知道

最高分辨率的图片，都是3000X2400分辨率的：
http://ipac.jpl.nasa.gov/media_images/ssc2009-19a.tif   1.7MB

http://ipac.jpl.nasa.gov/media_images/ssc2009-19b.tif   2.8MB

http://ipac.jpl.nasa.gov/media_images/ssc2009-19c.tif   4.6MB

与上面已经贴的图相比，这些图就是大了些。下面这个图是真正的超大图：
土卫八的高清照片
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/tiff/PIA08384.tif   50.4MB，4100X4100

还是发一下吧！

About the Object (1)
Object name:	Saturn
About the Data
Spitzer Data
Image Credit:	NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Virginia
Release Date:	2009/10/06
Other Data
Image Credit:	Hubble image credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA

Image Credit:  NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Virginia
Spitzer 图像版权：美国宇航局，加州理工学院——喷气推进实验室，维吉尼亚大学

Image Credit:    Hubble image credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA
哈勃 图像版权：美国宇航局，欧洲空间局，空间望远镜科学研究所，（美国）大学天文研究联合协会

PS: 数张图片中的土星图像来自哈勃望远镜拍摄的图像，但其中一张是卡西尼探测器所摄。另外，斯皮策卫星的轨道明显与哈勃望远镜的轨道不同，大家注意前文的翻译。——gohomeman1注

正在看《易经》的解说，实在是被搞混了。不过，科学的先不论，做人的道理说得可极为在理，希望各位都去看看，非常有益的。

伟大的发现！NASA万岁！

我不想说NASA网站做的好，更新的快。

但是我上国内的各地天文网站为何就没有类似的天文呢图片及天文最新信息呢！

是没有镜子吗。好像不是吧？

哦啊

wow!这个光环发现得还真够晚的，难怪叫隐形光环

看来光是太阳系要研究的东西好多着哩....

我的天啊，不愧为太阳系光环之王。