2010年七大太空新闻 (下)

    In the year 2010, humanity made first contact with extraterrestrials — at least according to the sequel to the film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Nothing quite so earth-shattering happened in the real world last year. But space-science researchers did make a number of big discoveries in 2010, including finding what may or may not be the first habitable alien world and uncovering clues to the nature of dark matter.

    4.The sun woke up

    After an unusually long episode of low activity on the sun, our star has woken up with a bang, with powerful solar flares* and massive eruptions* that created dazzling aurora* displays.

    Activity on the sun goes through cycles lasting about 11 years during which sunspots, flares and magnetic activity rise and fall. Puzzlingly, the last solar cycle, which ended recently, had an especially long and weak low point that scientists had difficulty explaining.

    The sun is now in the midst of an extremely active period after this lull*. Researchers think these changes might be similar to El Nino-like climate patterns seen on Earth.

    5. Dark matter detected?

    Dark matter — which scientists calculate makes up about 80 percent of all matter in the universe — gets its name from the fact that it’s basically invisible to astronomers’ instruments, making it one of the greatest mysteries in science.

    However, this year astrophysicists* suggested they might finally have tracked down signs of dark matter, which could begin to explain its nature. Others doubt if the elusive stuff has finally been found.

    6. Close encounter with Comet Hartley 2

    Not content with a rendezvous* with just one comet, the Deep Impact spacecraft went the extra mile — 4.6 billion km, actually — to chase down Comet Hartley 2, making it the first probe to visit two comets.

    Deep Impact first visited Comet Tempel 1 in 2005, crashing an impactor* into the comet to help scan its composition from afar. After its success, NASA found the probe still had enough fuel for one last voyage. Its mission to Hartley 2 revealed that the peanut-shaped comet is extremely active for its small size, spewing* jets of cyanide*-laced gas powered by carbon dioxide.

    7Universal constants not so constant?

    Fundamental constants such as the strength of the electromagnetic* force — the so-called fine-structure constant, or alpha — get their name from the fact that they are supposedly the same everywhere. However, recent observations of distant galaxies suggest that alpha might actually vary* throughout the entire universe, meaning the speed of light or the strength of the electron’s charge might depend on where you are. (SD-Agencies)