什么東西正在吞噬參宿四的光?

什么東西正在吞噬參宿四的光?

The star known as Betelgeuse used to be one of the brightest objects in our night sky. In fact, it was easily discernible to the naked eye, gleaming brightly from the shoulder of the constellation Orion.

被稱為參宿四的恒星曾經(jīng)是我們夜空中最亮的物體之一。事實(shí)上，肉眼很容易就能分辨出來，它在獵戶座的肩膀上閃閃發(fā)光。

Betelgeuse, also known as Alpha Orionis, as seen through a telescope. (Photo: Cristian Cestaro/Shutterstock)

And that's to be expected from a star that's not only relatively close to us, but also classified as a red supergiant, puffing up about 700 times as wide as our own sun.

這是一顆不僅離我們相對(duì)較近，而且被歸類為紅色超級(jí)巨星的恒星，它的直徑是我們的太陽的700倍。

But lately something has been eating Betelgeuse. According to a newly published paper from researchers at Pennsylvania's Villanova University, the star has turned down the lights dramatically in the last two months. Scientists say it's about 2.5 times fainter than its usual brilliant self — going from the ninth brightest object in the sky to the 23rd.

但最近有東西一直在削減參宿四的亮度。賓夕法尼亞維拉諾瓦大學(xué)的研究人員最近發(fā)表的一篇論文稱，在過去的兩個(gè)月里，這顆恒星戲劇性地關(guān)閉了燈光?？茖W(xué)家們說，它的亮度是平常亮度的2.5倍——從天空中第九亮的物體到第23亮的物體。

As a variable star, Betelgeuse waxes and wanes in brightness as part of a natural cycle. But it's losing its shine so fast, astronomers suspect it may be primed to go supernova.

作為一顆變星，參宿四的亮度會(huì)隨著自然周期的變化而變化。但它的光芒消失得如此之快，天文學(xué)家懷疑它可能準(zhǔn)備成為超新星。

When a star comes to an end, it often dims before unleashing a luminosity that's exponentially greater than usual. Supergiants don't typically die boring deaths.

當(dāng)一顆恒星走到盡頭時(shí)，它通常會(huì)在釋放出比平時(shí)大得多的光度之前變暗。超級(jí)巨人一般不會(huì)無聊地死去。

And if Betelgeuse does explode, its proximity to Earth would make it a blinding beacon in the sky, day or night.

如果參宿四真的爆炸了，它與地球的距離將使它成為天空中令人目眩的燈塔，無論白天還是黑夜。

"I personally think it's going to bounce back, but it's fun to watch stars change," lead study author Ed Guinan tells CNN. Although, he adds, if Betelgeuse keeps losing its shine, "all bets are off."

“我個(gè)人認(rèn)為它會(huì)反彈，但看著明亮的恒星改變是很有趣的，”該研究的主要作者Ed Guinan告訴CNN。盡管如此，他補(bǔ)充說，如果參宿四繼續(xù)失去它的光芒，“所有的賭注都輸了。”

Our sun barely registers as a pinprick compared to Betelgeuse. (Photo: Aliona Ursu/Shutterstock)

Guinan, who has been observing Betelgeuse for decades, says the star's distance from us makes an accurate diagnosis impossible.

吉南幾十年來一直在觀察參宿四，他說，由于參宿四離我們的距離太遠(yuǎn)，所以無法做出準(zhǔn)確的診斷。

"What causes the supernova is deep inside the star," Guinan adds.

“超新星形成的原因是在恒星的內(nèi)部深處，”吉南補(bǔ)充道。

The thing is, since it's 700 light-years from Earth, Betelgeuse may have already issued its last sigh. That's because the news of its demise would take 700 years to reach us. But if its sudden dimming does suggest the red giant is going the way of the supernova, Earthlings still get treated to a spectacular light show — even if it's not exactly a "live" event.

問題是，由于它距離地球700光年，參宿四可能已經(jīng)發(fā)出了它的最后一聲嘆息。這是因?yàn)樗鼫缤龅南⑿枰?00年才能傳到我們這里。但是，如果它的突然變暗確實(shí)表明這顆紅巨星正在走向超新星的道路，那么地球人仍然可以看到一場(chǎng)壯觀的燈光秀——即使這不是一場(chǎng)真正的“現(xiàn)場(chǎng)”活動(dòng)。

What's more, the shock wave, radiation and celestial debris from Betelgeuse's passing wouldn't reach our solar system's doorstep for about 6 million years, according to National Geographic. And our ever-protective sun would hold up an umbrella, to make sure Earth doesn't get rained with star innards — leaving humans to bask safely in the cosmic pyrotechnics.

更重要的是，據(jù)《國家地理》雜志報(bào)道，參宿四經(jīng)過地球時(shí)產(chǎn)生的沖擊波、輻射和天體碎片大約600萬年后才到達(dá)我們太陽系的門口。我們那永遠(yuǎn)保護(hù)著我們的太陽會(huì)撐起一把傘，以確保地球不會(huì)因?yàn)閮?nèi)部的恒星而下雨——讓人類安全地沐浴在宇宙的煙火之中。

"It would be so incredibly cool!" astronomer Sarafina Nance, who was not involved with the research, tells National Geographic. "By far and away the most incredible thing to happen in my life."

沒有參與這項(xiàng)研究的天文學(xué)家薩拉菲娜·南斯在接受《國家地理》雜志采訪時(shí)表示:“這真是太酷了!”“這是我一生中最不可思議的事情。”