1987年2月，一顆恒星在銀河系附近的一個星系中爆炸，盡管當時使用瞭強大的望遠鏡進行觀測，但仍無法確認爆炸留下的碎片中心是哪一種天體。然而，現在科學傢們表示他們已經揭開瞭恒星爆炸或超新星爆炸殘餘物的神秘面紗。
The supernova was visible from Earth for four months, shining with the power of a hundred million Suns. There was so much debris that even the most powerful telescopes could not confirm what remained at its heart.
曾經長達四個月之久，人們可以在地球上看到這顆超新星，它發出的光芒亮度相當於一億個太陽。由於恒星爆炸產生大量碎片，即便是用最強大的望遠鏡進行觀測，也無法確認超新星爆炸後的殘骸中心是什麼。
But that’s now changed with new data from Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope. That shows that the remnant is a neutron star, which is a dead star’s collapsed core and made of the densest material in the Universe.
但美國國傢航空航天局詹姆斯·韋佈空間望遠鏡的新觀測數據給出瞭這個問題的答案。新數據表明恒星爆炸的殘餘物是一顆中子星，它是一顆死亡恒星坍塌的核心，由宇宙中密度最大的物質構成。
The discovery will confirm the theories of what [happens] to giant stars when they reach the end of their lives. That’s important because supernovas are responsible for the spread of life-giving elements across the Universe, and the new data will help refine our understanding of how this happens. It will also give astronomers an opportunity to study a ‘baby’ neutron star and learn how they evolve over time.
這一發現將證實巨星到達生命盡頭時的最終歸宿與現有理論相符。證實這一點很重要，因為超新星起到將支持生命必需的元素向宇宙空間擴散的作用，而新的數據將完善我們對這一過程的理解。新的數據還將為天文學傢提供一個研究 “嬰兒” 中子星的機會，並掌握它們隨著時間的推移進行演變的方式。
詞匯表
supernova 超新星
debris 碎片，殘骸
telescopes 望遠鏡
remnant 殘餘物
neutron star 中子星
collapsed core 坍塌的核心
densest 密度最大的
elements 元素
astronomers 天文學傢
evolve 演變，演化
閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。
1. How long was the supernova visible for from Earth?
2. Why could telescopes not confirm what was at the supernova’s heart initially?
3. True or False? A neutron star is made of the densest material in the Universe.
4. What are two reasons why the discovery is important?
答案
1. How long was the supernova visible for from Earth?
The supernova was visible from Earth for four months.
2. Why could telescopes not confirm what was at the supernova’s heart initially?
Telescopes could not confirm what remained at its heart because there was so much debris.
3. True or False? A neutron star is made of the densest material in the Universe.
True. A neutron star is a dead star’s collapsed core and made of the densest material in the Universe.
4. What are two reasons why the discovery is important?
The discovery is important because it will refine our understanding of the spread of life-giving elements, and it will also give astronomers an opportunity to study a ‘baby’ neutron star and learn how they evolve over time.
免費試聽
填表領取25分鐘真人外師課＋英文程度分析
