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The key difference of course is that a sunspot's
最關鍵的不同點在于太陽黑子
an awful lot bigger and so the total energy,
大得多，所以太陽磁場內
or the amount of energy in the magnetic field
所含的總能量大得驚人
on the sun is enormous but the field strength
但是任一部位的磁場強度
at any given locationis something you can hold in your hand.
和一般磁鐵差不多
Sun spots are just the visible effect of magnetic fields
太陽黑子的形成是因為磁場強度過強
so strong that they can prevent the heat
以致阻擋熱能
and light rising from the sun's interior.
及光線離開太陽內部
With the right viewing equipment
只要用合適的觀測器材
you can even see the magnetic fields.
就能看到磁場
Magnetic loops arch off the surface,
磁力圈在太陽表面形成拱形
like iron filings around a bar magnet they're shapes
如同磁鐵棒周圍的鐵屑
are mapped out by plasma heated to a million degrees.
一百萬度的高熱電漿勾勒出它們的形狀
The largest are 200,000 kilometres high.
最大的磁力圈有20萬公里高
And they are packed full of unstable energy.
飽含不穩定能量
When you add up the total energy content
要是把磁力圈的能量加總起來
in these loops it comes out to roughly 10 to the 21 joules
約可得到10的21次方焦耳
of energy and that's roughly ten times the annual energy
約相當于美國年度消耗
consumption of the united states.
能量的十倍
Of course we can see thousands of them at any one time.
我們不論何時都能看到數以千計的磁力圈
The loops are caused by the twisting
磁力圈是因太陽
of the sun's basic magnetic field.
基本磁場的扭曲所致
Because the sun rotates faster at the equator
因為太陽的赤道旋轉速度比兩極快
than at the poles it drags the field lines with it
所以磁力線因受到拉扯
stretching and twisting them like elastic bands.
而像橡皮筋般地拉長、扭曲
As the solar cycle goes on the fields get more
隨著太陽周期的進展
and more twisted and break through the surface.
磁場扭曲得越來越嚴重并突破表面
Until at Solar Max the whole sun is covered
到了太陽活動極大期時，整個太陽覆滿了
in loops stretched to breaking point.
伸展至斷裂點的磁力圈
Solar flares are what happen
若拉力過大，導致磁力圈斷裂
when the strain gets too much and the loops snap.
就會產生太陽閃焰
Basically all that energy comes out of the catastrophic
基本上此時磁場會一股腦地
release of energy that's been stored in the magnetic fields.
釋放其儲存的能量
So like if you wind up an elastic band too much,
好比說把橡皮筋拉得太緊
if you let it go with your fingers
手一放開
that elastic band flies across the room.
就會飛到房間的另一頭
When the energy bound within sunspots is released,
被局限在太陽黑子內的能量一旦釋放
billions of tonnes of plasma are fired
數十億噸的電漿便會
far into space at huge speeds.
高速噴向太空
And sometimes they are aimed straight for the Earth.
有時它們朝著地球直撲而來
The flares fly through space for 2 days.
閃焰在太空中前進兩天
When they reach us
它們抵達地球時
the earth's own magnetic field deflects most of the blow.
大半會因地球的磁場而轉向
But it is the impact on the magnetic field
但閃焰對磁場造成的沖擊
which causes the effects on Earth.
影響了地球
It's called Space weather
這種現象叫做太空天氣
and the best of its effects are magical.
而且有時候會產生如夢似幻的結果
