There are still lots of things about space that we may never be able to answer, like is time travel possible? Or are aliens living somewhere else in the Milky Way? But there is one thing I believe about space: Space is trying to kill me. Space isn't out to get me personally. It's also trying to kill you and everybody else. Think about it. Space doesn't naturally have what we need to survive when we travel there: no air, it's too hot or too cold, no ozone to protect us from those nasty UV rays, either. This all sounds bad, but what can space really do to me if I stay on Earth? What we need to understand is that objects in space can cause people to think their days are numbered, even when there are events on Earth that can hurt or kill us before something from space does. So, what are the odds that one of these objects will really affect Earth and you and me in our lifetime? Well, we can take what we know about the universe to try and figure that out. You might have heard stories about asteroids hitting the Earth. That would be pretty bad. Scientists think asteroids might have killed off most of the dinosaurs. Sounds like something we should worry about, right? Well, astronomers can now watch asteroids in space and see them coming using complex computer models to predict the deadly rock's path. For a while, the reported odds that asteroid Apophis would strike Earth in 2036 were once 1 in 625. But, after updating their data, astronomers now say the chances are extremely low. Okay, what about the sun? Hollywood movies like to pick on our sun by showing Earth destroyed by solar flares or the sun dying out, which would cause Earth to freeze. Astronomers predict our sun contains enough gas to make energy for another 3 to 5 billion years. So, in 3 to 5 billion years, if people still exist on Earth, they'll have to deal with that. But today, well, we're safe. Sometimes the sun does shoot flares at Earth, but the magnetic fields surrounding our planet blocks most of that radiation. The radiation that does get through creates things like the Aurora Borealis. Gigantic solar flares can mess with our satellites and electrical equipment, but the chances of it killing you are pretty slim. Okay, what about that supermassive black hole in the middle of our galaxy? What happens to Earth, and us, when it pulls us in? After all, it is supermassive. Nope, not going to happen. That's one big object that can't bother us. How can we be so sure? Our solar system is on the edge of the Milky Way while the nearest supermassive black hole is about 26,000 light years from Earth. That means we aren't on that black hole's menu. So, you still think space objects are trying to kill you even after what I've told you so far? I think I've even convinced myself that odds are really good that space and the objects up there won't kill me after all. But I'll probably keep looking up just to make sure nothing is headed my way.
關於太空有許多事情 可能永遠無法解答 像時間旅行有可能嗎? 或銀河系裡有外星人嗎? 但我相信一件關於太空的事: 太空想殺我 它不只想殺我 也想殺你和每個人 想想看 太空不會自然供應生存必需品 讓我們進行太空旅行 沒有空氣、 有時太熱、 有時太冷、 沒有臭氧層可阻擋惱人的紫外線 這一切聽起來都很糟 但太空能對我怎樣 如果我待在地球上呢? 我們要知道,太空中的物體 會讓人覺得日子已屈指可數 即使地球還有許多事 在太空動手前 早就能讓我受傷或死亡 所以,太空物體有多少機率 會真的影響地球、 你、 我、 在我們一生中? 我們可以用對宇宙的了解 試著找出答案 你也許聽過許多 小行星撞擊地球的故事 那一定很糟 科學家認為小行星可能造成了 大多數恐龍的滅絕 聽起來我們該要擔心,對吧? 天文學家已能觀察太空中的小行星 然後用複雜的電腦模型 預測致命岩石的路徑 有一陣子,預測 小行星阿波菲斯 (Apophis) 2036 年撞擊地球的機率 是 1/625 但更新數據後 天文學家現在認為,可能性極低 好吧,那太陽呢? 好萊塢電影喜歡在太陽上作文章 上演太陽閃焰毀滅地球 或是太陽燃燒殆盡 導致地球冰凍 天文學家預測太陽有足夠的燃料 再提供三十到五十億年能量 所以,在三十到五十億年後 如果地球上還有人 他們就要面對這個問題 但目前我們很安全 有時太陽的確會朝地球發出閃焰 但環繞地球的磁場 擋住了大部份的輻射 真正通過的輻射 造成了極光之類的現象 巨型的太陽閃焰會干擾人造衛星 還有電子儀器 但殺了你的機會微乎其微 好吧,超大質量黑洞不就在 我們銀河系的中心嗎? 地球和我們 會怎麼樣 如果被吸進去呢? 畢竟它是超級黑洞 不,這不會發生 這個大傢伙沒辦法影響我們 我們為什麼這麼確定? 我們的太陽系,在銀河系的邊緣 而最接近的超大質量黑洞 離地球將近兩萬六千光年 這表示我們不在黑洞的菜單上 你還是認為太空想殺了你嗎, 即使我說了這麼多? 我覺得我幾乎已經說服自己 機率相當低 太空、還有太空中的物體 終究不會殺了我 但我可能還是會持續看著天空 只是想確定沒有東西朝我飛來