如果地球和太阳一样大会怎样
What If Earth As Big As the Sun
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Trees are falling, eco-systems are collapsing, and our infrastructure is crumbling. Crops are failing, and water is scarce. Earth is becoming a dead planet. On the plus side, there's never been a better time to buy property! But who can think about real estate when they can't leave their own home, let alone get out of bed, let alone breathe? This is what if and here's what would happen if the Earth was as big as the Sun?
Everyone knows the Sun is big. I mean, look at it! And that's just how big it looks from about 150,000,000 km away! Just imagine what it would look like if you were standing next to it! Never mind! The Sun accounts for 98% of the mass of our entire Solar System. And compared to the densest planet, which is our very own planet Earth, the Sun is more than a million times more massive! In fact, it would take roughly 1,300,000 planets Earth to fill the entire Sun! But what if it only took one?
Earth would be a very different place if it were the same size as the Sun. Just imagine our whole planet's topography being stretched out. Continents would expand, providing much needed relief in places where overpopulation inhibits the quality of life. And owning a nice plot of land might actually be more affordable than it is on today's planet Earth.
But now we'd also have to consider that every body of water on our planet would have more area to cover. This means that lakes, rivers, and even the oceans would be shallower, making them more susceptible to evaporation, and potentially drying out. Marine life would undoubtedly suffer, since shallower water would gain more heat from the Sun, jeopardizing sea creatures that need colder water to survive. With other smaller water sources beginning to dry up, wildlife on land might have to relocate, or travel much farther for fresh water, which would also put them at risk.
Us humans would be in an equally precarious position. Not only would we probably start fighting over the limited fresh water that's available, our food crop yields would also start shrinking. Food crops need a certain amount of soil to grow in, and to absorb the nutrients they need. If our world was as big as the Sun, then, like water, our soil would have to be spread out to cover a much larger space. Less soil would mean less food, while the demand for food would stay the same.
There is also another issue that we haven't considered, which, when we factor it in, makes life on Earth pretty much impossible. Earth being the same size as the Sun is hard enough to imagine, but, when you consider a Sun-sized Earth having the same mass as the Sun, it doesn't only jeopardize our survival, it disrupts our entire Solar System. Think about it, with the Earth as big as the Sun, you'd pretty much lose the Moon away. But if a planet has more mass, it will also have a stronger gravitational pull. In this case, gravity on Earth would be 28 times as strong as it is now. We'll get to how this affects you in a moment, but first, let's look at the bigger picture.
The reason why our Solar System moves the way it does now is because the Sun's mass is so great, its gravitational pull forces other planets into its orbit. The Sun currently has 98% of the mass in our entire Solar System. Now, the Sun and the Earth would each have 49% of the mass in our Solar System. Would this result in some sort of binary system in which the Sun and the Earth orbited each other? How would this new rivalry affect the orbits of the other planets in our Solar System? And would a significantly higher gravitational pull mean that Earth would get hit by a lot more asteroids?
Well, there'd be a lot more to worry about than just asteroids. Our satellites would also probably crash down on Earth, while buildings and bridges would crumble and collapse under the increased gravitational pressure. Only thick trees that were low to the ground would remain standing, but it's unlikely that much else could shoulder the added weight. You would be significantly heavier, and you probably wouldn't be able to walk anywhere!
Think about it. If you weigh 50kg on Earth right now, it would feel like you weighed 1,400kg on a Sun-size Earth. The cruel twist is that as gravity increases, time would slow down. So you might be able to live longer, but it would probably be a long life spent lying in bed with aches and pains.
Luckily, we can wake up from this nightmare, because the Earth will never be as big as the Sun. In fact, our planet is actually getting smaller! Our atmosphere leaks, and so we end up losing several hundred tons of mass to space every day. So take a nice, deep breath, and be glad it's that easy! It's not always a good idea to mess with proportions, and bigger definitely doesn't always mean better.
生词统计
| 单词 | 音标 | 翻译 |
|---|---|---|
| infrastructure | ˈɪnfrəstrʌktʃər | n. 基础设施、公共建设、下部构造 |
| dense | dens | adj. 稠密的、浓厚的、愚钝的 |
| topography | təˈpɑːɡrəfi | n. 地势、地形学、地志 |
| continent | ˈkɑːntɪnənt | n. 大陆、洲、陆地； adj. 自制的、克制的 |
| susceptible | səˈseptəbl | adj. 易受影响的、易感动的； n. 易得病的人 |
| evaporate | ɪˈvæpəreɪt | v. 蒸发、挥发、使...蒸发、使...脱水 |
| jeopardize | ˈdʒepərdaɪz | v. 危害、使陷危地、使受危困 |
| precarious | prɪˈkeriəs | adj. 危险的、不确定的 |
| binary | ˈbaɪneri | adj. [数]二进制的、二元的、二态的 |
| asteroid | ˈæstərɔɪd | n. [天]小行星、小游星； adj. 星状的 |
| proportion | prəˈpɔːrʃn | n. 比例、占比、部分、面积、均衡； v. 使成比例、使均衡、分摊 |
翻译
Trees are falling, eco-systems are collapsing, and our infrastructure is crumbling. Crops are failing, and water is scarce. Earth is becoming a dead planet. On the plus side, there's never been a better time to buy property! But who can think about real estate when they can't leave their own home, let alone get out of bed, let alone breathe? This is what if and here's what would happen if the Earth was as big as the Sun?
树木正在倒下，生态系统正在崩溃，我们的基础设施也都开始倒塌。农作物歉收，水资源短缺。地球正在变成一个死寂的星球。从另一方面来说，现在是购买房产的最佳时机！当人们不能离开自己的房子，更不用说起床和呼吸的时候，谁还能想到房地产呢？这里是如果地球和太阳一样大会发生什么？
Everyone knows the Sun is big. I mean, look at it! And that's just how big it looks from about 150,000,000 km away! Just imagine what it would look like if you were standing next to it! Never mind! The Sun accounts for 98% of the mass of our entire Solar System. And compared to the densest planet, which is our very own planet Earth, the Sun is more than a million times more massive! In fact, it would take roughly 1,300,000 planets Earth to fill the entire Sun! But what if it only took one?
每个人都知道太阳很大。我是说，你看！这就是它从1.5亿公里外看起来的大小！想象一下，如果你站在它旁边，他会是什么样子。没关系，太阳占整个太阳系质量的98%。与密度最大的行星，也就是我们的地球相比，太阳的质量要打100万倍，大约需要130万颗行星才能填满整个太阳。但如果只用一颗呢？
Earth would be a very different place if it were the same size as the Sun. Just imagine our whole planet's topography being stretched out. Continents would expand, providing much needed relief in places where overpopulation inhibits the quality of life. And owning a nice plot of land might actually be more affordable than it is on today's planet Earth.
如果地球和太阳一样大，它将是一个非常不同的地方。想象一下，我们整个星球的地形都被拉长了。大陆将扩大，为人口过剩阻碍生活质量的地方提供急需的救济。拥有一块好地应该比今天的地球上便宜得多。
But now we'd also have to consider that every body of water on our planet would have more area to cover. This means that lakes, rivers, and even the oceans would be shallower, making them more susceptible to evaporation, and potentially drying out. Marine life would undoubtedly suffer, since shallower water would gain more heat from the Sun, jeopardizing sea creatures that need colder water to survive. With other smaller water sources beginning to dry up, wildlife on land might have to relocate, or travel much farther for fresh water, which would also put them at risk.
但现在我们还需要考虑地球上的每一片水域都需要覆盖更多的面积。这意味着湖泊、河流和海洋将变得更浅，更容易蒸发，甚至可能干涸。海洋生物无疑会遭受痛苦，因为较浅的海水将从太阳那里获得更多的热量，危及需要较冷海水生存的海洋生物。随着其他较小的水源开始干涸，陆地上的野生动物也不得不重新安置家园，或者为了淡水走的更远，这也将使它们处于危险之中。
Us humans would be in an equally precarious position. Not only would we probably start fighting over the limited fresh water that's available, our food crop yields would also start shrinking. Food crops need a certain amount of soil to grow in, and to absorb the nutrients they need. If our world was as big as the Sun, then, like water, our soil would have to be spread out to cover a much larger space. Less soil would mean less food, while the demand for food would stay the same.
我们人类也将处于同样危险的境地。我们不仅会开始争夺有限的淡水，我们的粮食作物产量也开始萎缩。粮食作物需要一定量的土壤才能生长，并吸收所需养分。如果我们的世界和太阳一样大，，那么就像水一样，土壤也会分散覆盖更大的空间。更少的土壤意味着更少的食物，而对食物的需求却维持不变。
There is also another issue that we haven't considered, which, when we factor it in, makes life on Earth pretty much impossible. Earth being the same size as the Sun is hard enough to imagine, but, when you consider a Sun-sized Earth having the same mass as the Sun, it doesn't only jeopardize our survival, it disrupts our entire Solar System. Think about it, with the Earth as big as the Sun, you'd pretty much lose the Moon away. But if a planet has more mass, it will also have a stronger gravitational pull. In this case, gravity on Earth would be 28 times as strong as it is now. We'll get to how this affects you in a moment, but first, let's look at the bigger picture.
还有另一个我们没有考虑到的问题，当我们把它考虑进去时，地球上几乎不可能有生命。地球和太阳一样大是很难想象的，但是，当你考虑到一个太阳大小的地球和太阳质量一样时，它不仅危及我们的生存，还会破坏整个太阳系。想想看，地球和太阳一样大，你会失去月球。但如果一个行星有等大的质量，它也会有更强的引力。在这种情况下，地球上的引力将使现在的28倍。我们将很快了解这会对你有什么影响，但首先，我们先看看更大的视角。
The reason why our Solar System moves the way it does now is because the Sun's mass is so great, its gravitational pull forces other planets into its orbit. The Sun currently has 98% of the mass in our entire Solar System. Now, the Sun and the Earth would each have 49% of the mass in our Solar System. Would this result in some sort of binary system in which the Sun and the Earth orbited each other? How would this new rivalry affect the orbits of the other planets in our Solar System? And would a significantly higher gravitational pull mean that Earth would get hit by a lot more asteroids?
我们的太阳系之所以以现在的方式移动是因为太阳的质量太大了，它的引力把其他行星拉进它的轨道。目前太阳的质量占整个太阳系的98%。现在太阳和地球各占太阳系49%的质量。这是否会导致太阳和地球相互环绕的某种双星系统。这种新的竞争将如何影响太阳系其他行星的轨道？更大的引力是否意味着地球会被更多的小行星撞击？
Well, there'd be a lot more to worry about than just asteroids. Our satellites would also probably crash down on Earth, while buildings and bridges would crumble and collapse under the increased gravitational pressure. Only thick trees that were low to the ground would remain standing, but it's unlikely that much else could shoulder the added weight. You would be significantly heavier, and you probably wouldn't be able to walk anywhere!
好吧，除了小行星，还有很多要担心的。我们的卫星也会在地球上坠毁，而建筑和桥梁也会在不断增加的重力下崩溃。只有低矮茂密的树木能屹立不倒，但理他树木不太可能承受住这额外的重量。你会变得很重，可能连走路都走不了。
Think about it. If you weigh 50kg on Earth right now, it would feel like you weighed 1,400kg on a Sun-size Earth. The cruel twist is that as gravity increases, time would slow down. So you might be able to live longer, but it would probably be a long life spent lying in bed with aches and pains.
想想，如果你现在50公斤重，那么在太阳大小的地球上就会觉得你有1400公斤重。残酷的转折是，随着重力的增加，时间会变慢。所以你可能会活得更久，但却是长时间躺在床上忍受病痛。
Luckily, we can make up from this nightmare, because the Earth will never be as big as the Sun. In fact, our planet is actually getting smaller! Our atmosphere leaks, and so we end up losing several hundred tons of mass to space every day. So take a nice, deep breath, and be glad it's that easy! It's not always a good idea to mess with proportions, and bigger definitely doesn't always mean better.
幸运的是，我们可以从这场噩梦中醒来，因为地球永远不会像太阳那么大。事实上，我们的星球正在变得越来越小！我们的大气在泄露，所以我们每天都会损失几百吨的质量到太空中。所以，好好地深呼吸一下吧，对如此容易的呼吸感到高兴！打乱比例并不总是一个好主意，更大也并不总是意味着更好。