阅读系列 | 太阳“发威”频发耀斑,专家称对人类生活影响有限


近日,太阳活动异常活跃,频繁释放出强烈的X级耀斑,引发公众关注。然而,气象专家表示,尽管太阳耀斑能量巨大,但真正对地球及人类生活的影响却微乎其微。未来太阳活动预计将更加频繁,但公众无需恐慌,地球磁场将为我们提供保护。


This year has seen a rise in the frequency and intensity of solar activity, a trend expected to persist without having a significant impact on people's daily lives, meteorological experts said.

气象专家指出,今年的太阳活动在频率和强度上均有所增强,并预计这一趋势将持续,但对人们的日常生活不会产生显著影响。

Among the most intense phenomena from the sun, solar flares are characterized by sudden bursts of brightness in specific areas of the sun's atmosphere. They are often accompanied by an increase in electromagnetic radiation and the release of particles across various energy ranges.

太阳耀斑,作为太阳最强烈的现象之一,显著特征在于太阳大气特定区域的亮度突发增强。它们往往伴随着电磁辐射的激增以及多种能量范围粒子的释放。

Solar flares are rated based on their strength, with A-class as the weakest, followed by B, C, M and X. The energy released increases tenfold with each successive class.

太阳耀斑按其强度分为不同等级,从A级(最弱)到B级、C级、M级,直至X级(最强)。

"The sun unleashed a strong solar flare classified as an X2.2 at 17:13 on Thursday (Beijing time), adding to the total of 7 X-class solar flares unleashed from Sunday through Thursday," said Chen Anqin, chief forecaster of China's National Center for Space Weather on Thursday, adding that while each solar flare lasts only minutes to dozens of minutes, the energy unleashed by an X-class solar flare is comparable to the total energy of 100,000 to 1 million strong volcanic eruptions, or the explosion of tens of billions of 100-metric-ton hydrogen bombs.

中国国家空间天气监测预警中心的首席预报员陈安芹在周四表示:“北京时间周四17时13分,太阳释放了一次强大的X2.2级耀斑,并且从周日到周四共发生了7次X级耀斑。”她进一步说明,尽管每次耀斑的持续时间仅有几分钟到几十分钟,但一次X级耀斑所释放的能量相当于10万至100万次强烈火山喷发或数百亿吨氢弹爆炸的总和。

Chen said there is a high possibility of more X-class solar flares occurring in the next three days and even extending into the foreseeable future.

陈安芹还预测,未来三天乃至更长一段时间内,X级太阳耀斑的出现可能性仍然很高。

"This year's solar flares are more frequent and intense," she said. "Up to now, there have been 15 X-class solar flares this year, already exceeding the total of 13 from last year."

她提到:“今年的太阳耀斑更为频繁且强烈。”至今,今年的X级太阳耀斑已达到了15次,超越了去年全年的13次。

However, she said it is a normal phenomenon, as solar activities follow a predictable cycle.

然而,她强调这属正常现象,因为太阳活动遵循一个可预测的周期。

After China observed multiple geomagnetic storm events at the end of March, Wang Jinsong, head of the center, said the average duration of a solar cycle is 11.2 years. With the first known one beginning in 1755, our nearest star is progressing through its 25th solar cycle.

在3月底中国多次观测到地磁暴事件后,国家空间天气监测预警中心主任王劲松表示,太阳周期的平均持续时间为11.2年。已知的第一个太阳周期始于1755年,而我们所处的恒星目前正处于其第25个太阳周期。

"The peak of the solar cycle is expected to arrive from 2024 through 2025," Wang said, adding that it's normal to see more frequent and complex solar activity during the peak and it is expected to be a moderate-intensity peak this time around.

“预计太阳周期的峰值将在2024年至2025年间到来,”王劲松说,“通常情况下,峰值期间的太阳活动会更加频繁和复杂,预计此次峰值将呈现中等强度。”

Solar flares can affect people's lives here on Earth. When such events occur, they can cause disruptions to the Earth's ionosphere. These disruptions have the potential to impact navigation and positioning systems, aviation communications, shortwave radio communications, and emergency communication networks. They may also pose risks to satellites and in-orbit astronauts, Chen said.

太阳耀斑确实会对地球生活产生影响。当这些事件发生时,它们会破坏地球的电离层。这些干扰可能会影响到导航和定位系统、航空通信、短波无线电通信以及应急通信网络。陈安芹还指出,它们还可能给卫星和在轨宇航员带来风险。

However, scientists said the impact of most solar flares on Earth is minimal.

不过,科学家们认为,大部分太阳耀斑对地球的影响微乎其微。

"While these flares can carry a significant amount of electromagnetic radiation and high-energy particles, only a small portion actually reaches Earth. Moreover, our planet is protected by its own magnetic field, which means that even strong flares have little impact on human health," Chen said.

“虽然这些耀斑携带了大量的电磁辐射和高能粒子,但真正抵达地球的仅有一小部分。此外,我们的星球拥有自身的磁场保护,因此即使强烈的耀斑对人类健康的影响也极小。”陈安芹解释道。

编辑 | ETTBL商务英语翻译
翻译|Romola
来源|China Daily
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