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And just once, it recorded a signal that got everyone excited,
僅一次，它記錄下一組激動人心的信號
the "wow!" signal, as it became known.
也就是人們所熟知的wow信號
The signal was a steady source of radio waves,
信號顯示了一陣穩(wěn)定的無線電波來源
just the kind an alien race might send,
正是外星人可能發(fā)送的訊息類型
because it stands out from the radio static that fills the universe.
因?yàn)樗鼜挠钪婧拼蟮男畔⒘恐忻摲f而出
A computer recorded the signal as six letters and numbers.
電腦以六個(gè)字母和數(shù)字記錄下了這組信號
Astronomer Jerry Ehman saw the data
天文學(xué)家杰里·艾漢看過數(shù)據(jù)后
and wrote one word in the margin.
在頁面邊緣寫下一個(gè)詞
Ehman and others subsequently searched the same patch of sky many times
艾漢和他的同事們不斷地搜尋這一片天空
But found nothing.
但卻空手而歸
The "wow!" signal had vanished.
wow信號消失了
The whole mysterious episode reveals that making contact
整個(gè)神秘事件揭示了
with aliens via radio is always going to be difficult.
用無線電與外星人取得聯(lián)系的難度巨大
In such a vast universe,
在浩瀚的宇宙中
messages take a long time to reach their destination.
信息需要許久才能抵達(dá)目的地
The "wow" signal appeared to come from a star system 200 light years away.
wow信號似乎來自一個(gè)200光年外的星系
So it took at least 200 years to reach us.
所以這信號歷經(jīng)至少200年才傳到地球
If we sent a reply, it would take another 200 years to reach them,
我們倘若回復(fù)，將耗費(fèi)又一個(gè)200年傳去信號
by which time they might have forgotten they sent anything
時(shí)至那時(shí)，它們也許已經(jīng)忘記曾發(fā)送過信號
and stopped listening for a reply.
并早已放棄了等候回音
Worse, they might well have destroyed themselves in the meantime.
更糟的話，它們也許已經(jīng)與此期間自我毀滅了
The human race very quickly discovered the power of the atom bomb.
人類在短時(shí)間內(nèi)就發(fā)現(xiàn)了原子彈的威力
If the same holds for intelligent aliens,
如果智能外星人也有類似的發(fā)現(xiàn)
then they might not last long.
他們也許活不長久
Perhaps they all blow themselves up soon after
也許他們在發(fā)現(xiàn)E=mc2不久后
they discover that "E" equals "mc" squared.
就已毀滅了自己
If civilizations take billions of years to evolve
如果文明要?dú)v經(jīng)百萬年才能形成
only to vanish virtually overnight,
毀于一旦只是瞬間的事情
then, sadly, we've next to no chance of hearing from them.
很遺憾，我們幾乎不可能聽到來自他們的消息
They are simply too far away in space and time to reach.
他們的空間和時(shí)間對我們而言都太遙不可及
But there is one last possibility
但也有最后一種可能:
that aliens who have avoided destroying themselves
有效避免了自我毀滅的外星人
are already colonizing the universe.
正大張旗鼓地占領(lǐng)宇宙
