VOA慢速英语听力：韦布望远镜观测到最遥远的黑洞 Webb Telescope Observes Most Distant Black Hole.
Astronomers say they have identified the most distant, active supermassive black hole ever observed.
天文学家表示他们发现了迄今观测到的最遥远、最活跃的超大质量黑洞。
The observation came from data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope, which the American space agency NASA operates.
这项观测结果来自美国宇航局操作的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜收集的数据。
Researchers said the newly discovered black hole is at the center of a galaxy called CEERS 1019. The galaxy is estimated to have existed about 570 million years after the Big Bang. The Big Bang is the explosion many scientists believe created the universe. Scientists estimate the Big Bang happened around 14 billion years ago and was followed by a period of intense development across the universe.
研究人员表示，这个新发现的黑洞位于一个名为CEERS 1019的星系的中心。这个星系估计存在于大爆炸后约5.7亿年。大爆炸是许多科学家认为创造了宇宙的爆炸事件。科学家估计大爆炸发生在约140亿年前，并在随后的时期引发了宇宙的剧烈发展。
Steven Finkelstein is an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin who helped lead the research. He told The Associated Press that Webb has already observed other black holes that appear to be even closer to the Big Bang. But those findings are still being studied. The latest study results have been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
史蒂文·芬克尔斯坦是得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的一名天文学家，他协助领导了这项研究。他告诉美联社，韦伯望远镜已经观测到了其他黑洞，这些黑洞似乎更接近大爆炸。但这些发现仍在研究中。最新的研究结果已被接受发表在《天体物理学快报》上。
The black hole was observed in February by imaging and data instruments built into the Webb. Researchers say it is on the smaller side, about 9 million times the mass of our sun. That is smaller than any black hole yet identified in the early universe, the team said.
这个黑洞在二月份通过安装在韦伯望远镜上的成像和数据仪器进行观测。研究人员表示，这个黑洞体积较小，大约是太阳质量的900万倍。这比早期宇宙中已经发现的任何黑洞都要小，团队表示。
Researchers say signals from the observed black hole are weak so more observations will be needed to confirm the findings.
研究人员表示，观测到的黑洞信号很弱，因此需要进行更多观测来确认这些发现。
Finkelstein said there are numerous non-active black holes, some of which are even more distant than the one observed. But without any observable gas, they cannot be identified.
芬克尔斯坦表示，存在着许多非活跃的黑洞，其中一些甚至比观测到的黑洞更遥远。但是，如果没有可观察的气体，它们就无法被确认。
The team also used the Webb to study two other small black holes from the early universe. These objects dated back to around 1 billion years after the Big Bang. The observations suggest these smaller black holes may have been more common as the universe began to develop.
该团队还使用韦伯望远镜研究了早期宇宙中的另外两个小黑洞。这些物体可以追溯到大爆炸后约10亿年左右。观测结果表明，在宇宙开始形成时，这些较小的黑洞可能更为普遍。
“There are probably many more hidden little monsters out there waiting to be found,” said Dale Kocevski. He was part of the research team, representing Colby College in Maine.
戴尔·科切夫斯基表示：“可能还有更多隐藏的小怪兽等待被发现。”他是研究团队的一员，代表缅因州的科尔比学院。
Launched in late 2021, NASA’s Webb is the largest, most powerful telescope ever sent into space. Its first images and science results were released by NASA about one year ago.
美国宇航局的韦伯望远镜于2021年末发射，是迄今为止最大、最强大的望远镜。它的首张图像和科学结果大约一年前由美国宇航局发布。
The Webb is a large infrared telescope designed to gather more in-depth data and explore parts of space never observed before. The device collects infrared waves -- electromagnetic energy that cannot be seen with the human eye. Infrared waves pass through gas and dust that can hide objects in space. The infrared system can also show light from more distant parts of the universe.
韦伯望远镜是一座设计用于收集更深入数据并探索以前从未观测过的太空区域的大型红外望远镜。该设备收集红外波，即无法用人眼看到的电磁能量。红外波可以穿过太空中的气体和尘埃，而这些物质可能隐藏着天体。红外系统还可以显示来自宇宙更远处的光线。
NASA recently celebrated the Webb’s one-year anniversary by releasing a new image observed by the telescope. The image shows 50 baby stars in a cloud collection about 390 light-years from Earth. A light-year is 9.7 trillion kilometers.
最近，美国宇航局通过发布望远镜拍摄的一张新图像来庆祝韦伯望远镜的一周年纪念。该图像显示了距离地球约390光年的一个云团中的50颗幼星。光年是97万亿公里。
The image shows an area of space that is full of bright hydrogen gases and dense collections of dust. All the young stars appear to be no bigger than our sun. Scientists said it is a good image of this brief period in a star’s life.
该图像显示了一个充满明亮的氢气和密集尘埃的太空区域。所有年轻的恒星看起来都不比我们的太阳大。科学家表示，这是一个恒星生命周期中的短暂时期的很好图像。
NASA program scientist Eric Smith told the AP about the image: “It’s like a glimpse of what our own system would have looked like billions of years ago when it was forming.”
美国宇航局计划科学家埃里克·史密斯对美联社表示，这张图像就像是我们自己的太阳系在数十亿年前形成时的一瞥。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
我是Bryan Lynn。
Words in This Story
supermassive – adj. used to describe something that has an extremely large mass
monster –n. a horrible imaginary creature
glimpse – n. to see something or someone for a very brief moment
