木星两极近照曝光，想不到你是这样的木星

导读:木星探测器“朱诺号”拍下木星近照，同时也记录下木星“鬼魅”的声音

CNN)--scientists have never explored Jupiter’s north pole----until now.

CNN消息，科学家们从未观测到过的木星北极景色，今日终于有幸目睹。

NASA’s spacecraft Juno sent back the first-ever images of Jupter’s north pole -- photographs that reveal storm systems and weather activity unlike anything scientists have ever seen before on any of our solar system’s gas giants, the space agency said Friday.

本周五，太空飞行器“朱诺号”发回了史上第一组木星北极景色的图片。美国宇航局称，从这组照片上来看，木星上的风暴系统和天气活动不同于目前为止科学家所观测到的太阳系任何一颗气体巨星上的景象。

These images were captured during Juno’s first orbital flyby of the planet. The spacecraft, which launched in August 2011 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, took five years to get there, arriving on July 4.

这组照片是木星探测器“朱诺号”首次飞掠木星时拍摄的。“朱诺号”于2011年八月从弗罗里达周卡纳维拉尔角发射，历经五年时间，终于于今年七月4号到达木星。

During Juno’s flyby, it hovered about 2,500 miles (4,200 kilometers) above the planet’s swirling clouds, capturing images of Jupiter’s north and south poles.

飞抵木星后，“朱诺号”在木星翻飞旋转的云层上方2500英里（4200公里）处徘徊，拍摄下了木星南极和北极的景象。

Although scientists still have a lot of data to analyze, they’ve noticed some key findings. For example, the planet’s north pole looks nothing like the iconic marbling that’s associated with Jupiter.

虽然科学家仍有很多数据需要分析，但是他们已经得到了一些重要的发现，比如，大理石花纹是木星的标志性纹理，可是这样的纹理在木星的北极呈现的景色里却一点儿也没有。

One of a kind

独一无二

"It’s bluer in color up there than other parts of the planet, and there are a lot of storms," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of the Juno mission, at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "We’re seeing signs that the clouds have shadows, possibly indicating that the clouds are at a higher altitude than other features."

圣安东尼奥西南研究院朱诺探测任务首席研究员斯科特·博尔顿说：“北极上空的颜色比木星其他部分更蓝，并且此处暴风肆虐，我们观察到的迹象是，这里的云朵都有投射影子，这也许说明北极云层比其它地方都要高。”

Besides the fact that Jupiter is pretty unrecognizable in these new photographs, it also lacks at least one feature that its gas giant cousin Saturn has.

从这些新的照片上来看，木星真的快认不出来了，除此之外，比起它的气体巨星兄弟土星，它至少还缺一样外在特征。

"Saturn has a hexagon at the north pole," said Bolton. "There is nothing on Jupiter that anywhere near resembles that."

“土星北极有六边形风暴，”博尔顿说，“而木星北极附近没有任何相似的景象”

This indicates that Jupiter is really one of a kind, he explained.

他解释说，这说明木星的确独一无二、与众不同。

As for Juno, it’s still cruising along, collecting data. On the probe, there’s the JunoCam snapping pictures of the largest planet in our solar system, but there are also eight other instruments picking up valuable information for the mission.

而“朱诺号”此刻仍在木星一边独自航行一边收集数据。在它的探针上安装着朱诺相机，用来为我们太阳系里最大的星球拍照，除此之外，还有其他8个装置也在为此次探测任务收集珍贵的信息。

Getting under the skin

越过表层，探寻真面目

One tool, known as the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), captured infrared wavelengths of Jupiter’s north and south pole, essentially getting underneath the planet’s skin, according to Alberto Adriani, JIRAM co-investigator, who is based in Rome.

其中一个装置叫做“外极光绘图仪”(JIRAM)，它的开发者之一，现在身处罗马的阿德里安尼说，它可以穿过木星表面云层，拍摄南极北极的红外波长图像。

Through this imaging, scientists have identified warm spots on the planet, areas that have not been seen before. Scientists also captured images of the planet’s southern aurora -- dancing lights that also appear at the poles here on Earth.

通过这种红外线成像，科学家们辨认出木星上以前从未发现的的温暖区域，同时，科学家们也拍摄到了木星的南极光---就是在地球南极北极也会出现的舞动的光。

Jupiter’s ghostly sounds

木星上的“鬼魅”声音

Another interesting finding -- new clues about the sounds emanating from Jupiter.

还有一项有趣的发现---关于从木星发出声音的新线索。

Juno’s Radio/Plasma Wave Experiment, nicknamed Waves, has recorded ghostly-sounding transmissions coming from Jupiter, according to NASA

美国宇航局称，朱诺号上的“无线电/等离子体波实验”探测仪器，昵称“小波”，也录下了木星发出的“鬼魅”声音信号。

But before anyone throws out the "a" word -- aliens -- it’s important to note that we have known about these radio emissions since the 1950s. However, scientists have never been able to analyze them (cue "X-Files" music here) up close.

看到这里，你们可能会很惊讶。但是，在你们要惊呼出这个词---“外星人”之前，首先你得知道，我们早就在十九世纪50年代就已经知道木星上有无线电辐射出来了。不过，（此处背景乐：《x档案》主题曲）科学家们还没有能力分析这些无线电信号呢。

So is Jupiter talking to us? In a way, yes!

所以，木星正在对我们说话么？嗯，在某种程度上，是的！

"Jupiter is talking to us in a way only gas-giant worlds can," Waves co-investigator Bill Kurth of the University of Iowa said.

研究员之一，来自爱荷华大学的库尔斯说：“木星正在用一种只有气体巨星世界才会说的语言对我们说话。”

The sounds may be generated by the massive auroras on Jupiter’s north pole.

这些声音也许是木星上大量的北极光发出来的。

"These emissions are the strongest in the solar system. Now we are going to try to figure out where the electrons come from that are generating them," Kurth said.

库尔斯说，“这些无线电讯号是整个太阳系里发出的无线电里最强的，现在我们要尽可能弄清楚这些电子是从哪里发出来的”

Juno still has 36 more flybys of Jupiter, giving scientists more time to explore the wonders and mysteries of the giant planet.

朱诺号还会在木星进行至少36次近距离飞越，这给了科学家们更多的时间去探索这颗巨星上一切的奇景和秘境。