TED2015
Aomawa Shields: How we'll find life on other planets
奧瑪瓦 · 謝茲: 我哋點樣尋找外太空生命存在
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天文學家奧瑪瓦 · 謝茲通過對遙遠系外行星大氣嘅探索嚟尋找外太空生命存在嘅證據。 研究之餘，佢仲係受過一般訓練嘅演員兼 TED Fellow，並致力透過戲劇表演、寫作同埋視覺藝術激發年輕女性對天文學嘅興趣。佢話︰「可能以後會有一班女性加入呢個充滿矛盾發現嘅天文學家行列。呢班人會善用佢哋背景，再一次印證，我哋人類並唔係宇宙中唯一嘅生命存在。 」
Aomawa Shields - Astronomer, astrobiologist, actor, writer
Aomawa Shields studies the climate and habitability of planets outside of the Solar System. Full bio
Aomawa Shields studies the climate and habitability of planets outside of the Solar System. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
我喺度搵緊其他有生命存在嘅星球
00:12
I am in search of another planet
in the universe where life exists.
in the universe where life exists.
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雖然我唔能夠用肉眼睇到呢啲星球
00:18
I can't see this planet
with my naked eyes
with my naked eyes
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就算用埋最先進嘅望遠鏡
00:21
or even with the most powerful telescopes
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00:23
we currently possess.
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但我知道佢就喺嗰度
00:25
But I know that it's there.
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而且掌握大自然本身嘅矛盾
00:27
And understanding contradictions
that occur in nature
that occur in nature
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可以幫到我哋搵到呢個星球
00:31
will help us find it.
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響我哋嘅星球
00:33
On our planet,
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邊度有水，邊度就有生命
00:34
where there's water, there's life.
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所以我哋尋找嗰啲
00:36
So we look for planets that orbit
at just the right distance
at just the right distance
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同恒星保持合適運行距離嘅星球
00:39
from their stars.
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00:42
At this distance,
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呢個表入面
藍色係代表咗唔同恒星嘅適居帶
00:43
shown in blue on this diagram
for stars of different temperatures,
for stars of different temperatures,
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00:47
planets could be warm enough
for water to flow on their surfaces
for water to flow on their surfaces
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而呢種距離暖到
可以令水喺星球嘅表面流動
可以令水喺星球嘅表面流動
形成咗湖同海
00:50
as lakes and oceans
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而生命就有可能響呢啲地方出現
00:52
where life might reside.
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一啲天文學家集中精神
00:54
Some astronomers focus their time
and energy on finding planets
and energy on finding planets
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尋找位於適居帶嘅星球
00:58
at these distances from their stars.
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我嘅任務就係接手佢哋嘅工作
01:00
What I do picks up where their job ends.
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我要推算出系外行星嘅氣候
01:03
I model the possible
climates of exoplanets.
climates of exoplanets.
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下面我會講解點解呢樣會咁重要
01:07
And here's why that's important:
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除咗距離之外
01:09
there are many factors
besides distance from its star
besides distance from its star
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仲有好多其他因素
決定一個星球有生命嘅存在
決定一個星球有生命嘅存在
01:12
that control whether
a planet can support life.
a planet can support life.
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就攞金星做例子
01:16
Take the planet Venus.
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佢嘅名代表咗羅馬人
一個象徵愛同美麗嘅女神
一個象徵愛同美麗嘅女神
01:18
It's named after the Roman goddess
of love and beauty,
of love and beauty,
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正因為佢喺天空
以美善、輕飄嘅姿態出現
以美善、輕飄嘅姿態出現
01:22
because of its benign,
ethereal appearance in the sky.
ethereal appearance in the sky.
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01:26
But spacecraft measurements
revealed a different story.
revealed a different story.
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但探測器做出嘅測量欲唔係想像中咁靚
01:30
The surface temperature is close
to 900 degrees Fahrenheit,
to 900 degrees Fahrenheit,
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金星表面嘅溫度高達華氏 900度
亦即攝氏500度
01:34
500 Celsius.
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01:36
That's hot enough to melt lead.
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佢嘅溫度足夠融咗鉛
佢厚厚嘅大氣層
而唔係佢同太陽嘅距離
而唔係佢同太陽嘅距離
01:39
Its thick atmosphere, not its distance
from the sun, is the reason.
from the sun, is the reason.
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令大氣層出現溫室效應
01:42
It causes a greenhouse effect on steroids,
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太陽嘅熱力被大氣層鎖住
01:46
trapping heat from the sun
and scorching the planet's surface.
and scorching the planet's surface.
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熱力留返喺度，將星球表面加熱
01:50
The reality totally contradicted
initial perceptions of this planet.
initial perceptions of this planet.
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現實同我哋最初對金星嘅想像係倒返轉
從太陽系學到，一個星球嘅大氣
01:55
From these lessons
from our own solar system,
from our own solar system,
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01:58
we've learned that a planet's atmosphere
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對星球嘅氣候以至生命嘅孕育
係非常之重要
係非常之重要
02:00
is crucial to its climate
and potential to host life.
and potential to host life.
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我哋唔知道呢啲系外行星嘅大氣係點樣
02:04
We don't know what the atmospheres
of these planets are like
of these planets are like
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因為呢啲星球相比起佢哋嘅恒星
02:07
because the planets are so small
and dim compared to their stars
and dim compared to their stars
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實在太細啦，兼且離我哋太遠啦
02:12
and so far away from us.
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例如，其中一個
02:14
For example, one of the closest planets
that could support surface water --
that could support surface water --
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最接近我哋又可以維持地表水嘅星球
02:18
it's called Gliese 667 Cc --
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叫做 Gliese 667 Cc
真係一個有魅力嘅名
02:22
such a glamorous name, right,
nice phone number for a name --
nice phone number for a name --
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好似個電話號碼咁
02:26
it's 23 light years away.
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佢距離我哋有 23 光年咁遠
02:29
So that's more than 100 trillion miles.
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超過一兆英里
02:32
Trying to measure
the atmospheric composition
the atmospheric composition
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要響系外行星經過佢哋恒星嗰時
量度佢哋嘅大氣組成
量度佢哋嘅大氣組成
02:35
of an exoplanet passing
in front of its host star is hard.
in front of its host star is hard.
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係非常艱難嘅
就好似嘗試望住隻果蠅
飛過一架車嘅前燈
飛過一架車嘅前燈
02:39
It's like trying to see a fruit fly
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02:41
passing in front of a car's headlight.
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02:44
OK, now imagine that car
is 100 trillion miles away,
is 100 trillion miles away,
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好，你可以想像嗰架車離你一兆英里
而你只想知嗰隻果蠅嘅顏色
02:47
and you want to know
the precise color of that fly.
the precise color of that fly.
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02:52
So I use computer models
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所以我利用一個電腦模擬程式
去計算星球需要乜嘢大氣層
02:54
to calculate the kind of atmosphere
a planet would need
a planet would need
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先至會有合適嘅氣候提供水同孕育生命
02:57
to have a suitable climate
for water and life.
for water and life.
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03:01
Here's an artist's concept
of the planet Kepler-62f,
of the planet Kepler-62f,
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呢度係畫家對開普勒-62f 概念嘅理解
用地球做參照
03:05
with the Earth for reference.
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03:07
It's 1,200 light years away,
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佢有 1,200 光年咁遠
比地球大 40%
03:09
and just 40 percent larger than Earth.
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03:12
Our NSF-funded work found that it
could be warm enough for open water
could be warm enough for open water
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我哋 NSF 資助嘅項目發現
無論佢嘅大氣同運行軌道嘅方向係咩
03:16
from many types of atmospheres
and orientations of its orbit.
and orientations of its orbit.
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佢都夠暖俾到水出現
所以，我想未來嘅望遠鏡
可以追蹤呢個星球
可以追蹤呢個星球
03:20
So I'd like future telescopes
to follow up on this planet
to follow up on this planet
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去搵出星球上面嘅生命線索
03:23
to look for signs of life.
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03:26
Ice on a planet's surface
is also important for climate.
is also important for climate.
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星球表面嘅冰
係另一種決定氣候嘅重要因素
係另一種決定氣候嘅重要因素
冰吸收長波，偏紅嘅光
03:29
Ice absorbs longer,
redder wavelengths of light,
redder wavelengths of light,
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反射短波嘅藍光
03:33
and reflects shorter, bluer light.
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03:35
That's why the iceberg
in this photo looks so blue.
in this photo looks so blue.
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呢個就係點解呢幅圖嘅冰咁藍
嚟自太陽嘅紅光通過冰塊時就被吸收
03:39
The redder light from the sun
is absorbed on its way through the ice.
is absorbed on its way through the ice.
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剩低藍光穿過底部出返嚟
03:42
Only the blue light
makes it all the way to the bottom.
makes it all the way to the bottom.
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之後藍光反射到我哋嘅眼
03:45
Then it gets reflected
back to up to our eyes
back to up to our eyes
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所以我哋見到藍色嘅冰
03:48
and we see blue ice.
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我嘅模型推算出
星球圍繞溫度較低嘅恒星時
星球圍繞溫度較低嘅恒星時
03:50
My models show that planets
orbiting cooler stars
orbiting cooler stars
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03:53
could actually be warmer
than planets orbiting hotter stars.
than planets orbiting hotter stars.
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佢嘅溫度
會比圍繞較熱嘅恒星嘅星球更高
會比圍繞較熱嘅恒星嘅星球更高
下面係第二個矛盾︰
03:56
There's another contradiction --
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冰吸收嚟自溫度較低嘅恒星
波長較長嘅光
波長較長嘅光
03:58
that ice absorbs the longer
wavelength light from cooler stars,
wavelength light from cooler stars,
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光，或者能量，令冰嘅溫度上升
04:02
and that light, that energy,
heats the ice.
heats the ice.
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探索呢啲矛盾嘅嘢點樣影響星球氣候
04:06
Using climate models to explore
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04:09
how these contradictions
can affect planetary climate
can affect planetary climate
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對於尋找外星生命
係非常重要嘅
係非常重要嘅
04:12
is vital to the search for life elsewhere.
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04:16
And it's no surprise
that this is my specialty.
that this is my specialty.
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絕對唔係意外，呢個係我鑽研方向
04:19
I'm an African-American female astronomer
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我係非裔女性美國天文學家
亦係一個受過真正訓練嘅演員
04:22
and a classically trained actor
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鍾意化妝，睇時尚雜誌
04:24
who loves to wear makeup
and read fashion magazines,
and read fashion magazines,
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所以我好欣賞大自然存在嘅矛盾
04:28
so I am uniquely positioned to appreciate
contradictions in nature --
contradictions in nature --
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（笑聲）
04:33
(Laughter)
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04:34
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
呢啲矛盾引領我哋研究
04:38
... and how they can inform our search
for the next planet where life exists.
for the next planet where life exists.
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將我哋帶到下一個有生命存在嘅星球
我嘅組織， Rising Stargirls
04:42
My organization, Rising Stargirls,
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通過戲劇表演、寫作同視覺藝術
04:45
teaches astronomy
to middle-school girls of color,
to middle-school girls of color,
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教授天文學俾唔同膚色嘅中學女生
04:48
using theater, writing and visual art.
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呢個又係另一個矛盾
04:52
That's another contradiction --
science and art don't often go together,
science and art don't often go together,
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科學同藝術好多時唔能夠喺埋一齊
04:56
but interweaving them can help
these girls bring their whole selves
these girls bring their whole selves
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但係將佢哋擺埋一齊
可以令佢哋明白佢哋學嘅嘢
05:00
to what they learn,
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或者有一日
佢哋會加入天文學家嘅行列
佢哋會加入天文學家嘅行列
05:01
and maybe one day join
the ranks of astronomers
the ranks of astronomers
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05:05
who are full of contradictions,
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呢個充滿矛盾發現嘅職業
05:06
and use their backgrounds
to discover, once and for all,
to discover, once and for all,
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利用佢哋嘅背景
探索到我哋唔係宇宙中唯一嘅生物
05:10
that we are truly not alone
in the universe.
in the universe.
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多謝
05:14
Thank you.
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（掌聲）
05:15
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aomawa Shields - Astronomer, astrobiologist, actor, writerAomawa Shields studies the climate and habitability of planets outside of the Solar System.
Why you should listen
Dr. Aomawa Shields received her PhD in Astronomy and Astrobiology from the University of Washington in 2014. She also received an MFA in Acting from UCLA in 2001, and a Bachelor's degree in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1997. She is currently an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow, a UC President's Postdoctoral Program Fellow, and a 2015 TED Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Dr. Shields is the founder of Rising Stargirls, an organization dedicated to encouraging girls of all colors and backgrounds to explore and discover the universe using theater, writing, and visual art. She uses her theater and writing background to communicate science to the public in engaging, innovative ways.
Aomawa Shields | Speaker | TED.com