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The auroras dancing displays of celestial light
在天空中熠熠生輝的極光
are caused by particles from the solar storm smashing
是太陽風暴夾帶的微粒
through the magnetic field at the poles.
撞擊地球兩極磁場的結果
When they strike the upper atmosphere
它們撞擊高層大氣時
they light up the polar skies.
會照亮極地天空
In the strongest storms at the peak of the solar cycle
在太陽周期達巔峰時產生的強烈風暴中
the Northern lights can be seen
連雅典和古巴
as far south as Athens and Cuba.
都看得到北極光
But the buffeting of the magnetic field has other unseen effects.
但對磁場的沖擊還有其他肉眼看不到的影響
Migratory animals that navigate using the magnetic field
利用磁場導航的動物
can lose their bearings.
可能會迷失方向
Racing pigeons don't come home.
賽鴿回不了家
And whale strandings have been
鯨魚擱淺的頻率
seen to increase with solar activity.
會隨著太陽的活動而增加
But most worrying for us is the effect
但最讓我們擔憂的是
that the disrupted magnetic field can have on electronics.
混亂磁場對電子系統(tǒng)造成的影響
The strongest storms can damage
強烈太陽風暴可能會破壞
or destroy satellites with devastating effects.
或摧毀衛(wèi)星，造成嚴重影響
We're sort of more sensitive to the sun
我們對太陽的敏感程度
than we probably realise
也許超乎我們的理解
because when the sun releases these,
因為當太陽以太陽閃焰和
this magnetic energy in the form of solar flares and,
日冕物質拋射
and coronal mass ejections,
的形式釋放磁力時
maybe you don't notice it at first, but um,
也許你一開始不會注意到
the crackle on your cell phone
但手機出現(xiàn)雜音
or your cell phone going out
或手機沒信號
may actually be caused by enhanced activity on the sun.
很可能是因為太陽活動增強所致
Mobile telephones, television,
行動電話，電視
airplane navigation even weapons guidance systems
飛機導航系統(tǒng)，甚至武器導航系統(tǒng)
all rely on satellite communication
都仰賴衛(wèi)星通訊
and all can be disturbed by space weather.
所以都會受到太空天氣的干擾
The more we are reliant on these systems
我們越仰賴這些系統(tǒng)
the more we will feel the effects of the sun's tantrums.
就越能感受到太陽發(fā)火的威力
But we still don't understand
但我們對太空天氣
all of the effects of Space Weather.
造成的影響仍未透徹了解
No-one can explain the effect on the climate.
沒有人能解釋其對氣候造成的影響
Or why the disappearance of sunspots should cause an ice age.
或是太陽黑子消失為何會引發(fā)冰河時期
It may not matter.
也許已經(jīng)無所謂了
The small effect that solar variation has on the climate
太陽活動對氣候造成的微小變化
has long since been drowned out by man-made global warming.
早就因人為的全球暖化而相形見絀
