地球的力量 第5集稀有行星(12):月球獨一無二的特點

Such wild climatic swings would have made theplanet uninhabitable.

這樣瘋狂的氣候變化 會使得地球無法居住

Vet there's something rather strange happening tothe Moon

但是月球的行為很奇怪

that means we shouldn't take it forgranted.MeetJerry Wiant.

這意味著我們不能不懂得珍惜 認識一下杰瑞·維恩特

Every morning, he rides up to the McDonald Observatory in West Texas,

每天早上，他都開摩托去得克薩斯西部的麥克唐納天文館

and it's thanks to his work that we know something extraordinary about the Moon.

多虧了他的努力 我們了解到了月球獨一無二的特點

So, how many times do you make this journey?

你走這條路多少次了?

Every day for 37 years.37 years! -Yeah, on this bike.

連續(xù)37年，沒有任何間斷 37年-是的，就騎這個摩托

You're joking? -No, this one bike.That's it up there, is it? -Yeah.

你開玩笑吧-沒有，就它 就在上面，是嗎?-是的

Jerry's job is deceptively simple.

杰瑞的工作看起來很簡單

Once a day, he fires a laser at the Moon in order to measure its distance from Earth.

他每天都要向月球發(fā)射一束激光 為了測量它與地球的距離

Measuring the distance to the Moon is quite simple.

測量月球距離很簡單

We start with a bundle of light,we send it through a telescope,

我們用望遠鏡發(fā)射一道光朝向月球 它到達月球后照射到反射鏡

when it reaches the Moon it hits a reflector,and it comes back toward Earth.

它到達月球后照射到反射鏡 激光反射回地球

We intercept that with our telescope and what we do is we time when the light left

我們紀錄光發(fā)射和回來的時間 我們紀錄光發(fā)射和回來的時間

and we time when the light comes back, and that's our data.

這就是來回的距離這就是我們的數(shù)據(jù)