Astronomers have conducted an incredible observational test for a radio telescope on Earth. They used a new radar system to capture glorious high-resolution images of near-Earth space. The target: the Apollo 15 landing site on the Moon.
天文學家對地球上的射電望遠鏡進行了一項令人難以置信的觀測試驗。他們使用了一種新的雷達系統來捕捉近地空間的高解析度影象。目標:阿波羅15號在月球上的著陸點。
The Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia was outfitted with a new custom-built transmitter of radio waves. Back in November, researchers sent signals towards the Moon in a proof-of-concept test. What they got back is an incredible picture. The Hadley region on the Moon's near-side is visible with a resolution of 5 meters (16.4 feet).
西維吉尼亞州的格林班克望遠鏡配備了一個新的定製無線電波發射器。早在去年11月，研究人員在一項概念驗證測試中向月球傳送訊號。他們得到的是一張令人難以置信的照片。月球近側的哈德利區域解析度為5米(16.4英尺)。
In particular, the image shows the Hadley C crater, which is 6 kilometers ( 3.7 miles) across, and the sinuous Hadley Rille, a narrow depression that extends for 130 kilometers (80 miles) with an average width of 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) and a few hundred meters in depth. It is believed to have been an ancient lava tube, which has over billions of years collapsed.
特別要指出的是，這張圖片顯示了直徑6公里(3.7英里)的哈德利C隕石坑，以及蜿蜒的哈德利溝，這是一個狹窄的凹陷，延伸130公里(80英里)，平均寬度1.2公里(0.75英里)，深度幾百米。它被認為是一個古老的熔岩管，在數十億年的時間裡坍塌了。
Dr Alfredo Carpineti
The observations have delivered some of the best views of the region ever taken from Earth, a phenomenal achievement for Green Bank Observatory (GBO), National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and Raytheon Intelligence & Space who conducted the experiment.
這些觀測提供了從地球上拍攝到的該地區的一些最佳視角，這是格林班克天文臺(GBO)、美國國家射電天文臺(NRAO)和進行實驗的雷神情報與太空公司的一項非凡成就。
“This project opens a whole new range of capabilities for both NRAO and GBO,” Tony Beasley, director of the NRAO and vice president for Radio Astronomy at Associated Universities, Inc. said in a statement. “We’ve participated before in important radar studies of the Solar System, but turning the GBT into a steerable planetary radar transmitter will greatly expand our ability to pursue intriguing new lines of research.”
“這個專案為NRAO和GBO開啟了一個全新的能力範圍，”NRAO主任兼聯合大學公司射電天文學副總裁Tony Beasley在一份宣告中說。“我們以前參與過太陽系的重要雷達研究，但將GBT變成可操縱的行星雷達發射機將極大地擴充套件我們追求有趣的新研究方向的能力。”
It works by the radar signals emitted by the Green Bank Telescope hitting the surface of whatever object is being studied, in this case, the Apollo 15 landing site on the Moon. They then reflect back and get observed by the telescopes that are part of the Very Long Baseline Array, a network spread from the US Virgin Islands to the continental United States, and all the way to Hawaii.
它的工作原理是透過Green Bank望遠鏡發射的雷達訊號擊中任何被研究物體的表面，在這種情況下，是阿波羅15號在月球上的著陸點。然後它們反射回來，被望遠鏡觀察這些望遠鏡是超長基線陣列的一部分，這個網路從美屬維爾京群島延伸到美國大陸，一直延伸到夏威夷。
The incredible test is the achievement of a two-year effort to create such a radar, but it is also currently just a proof of concept. Researchers see the current transmitter as a stepping stone to design something more powerful. Something that can be used to study far beyond the Moon.
這一令人難以置信的測試是經過兩年努力創造出這樣一種雷達的成果，但目前它還只是一個概念驗證。研究人員將電流發射器視為設計更強大裝置的墊腳石。它可以被用來研究月球以外的地方。
“The planned system will be a leap forward in radar science, allowing access to never before seen features of the Solar System from right here on Earth,” explained Karen O’Neil, GBO site director.
“這個計劃中的系統將是雷達科學的一個飛躍，可以讓我們從地球上看到以前從未見過的太陽系特徵，”GBO站點主任凱倫·奧尼爾解釋說。
The new transmitter is expected to be capable of capturing and providing detailed observations of small objects passing near Earth as well as the moons orbing other planets in the Solar System. If the finalized plan comes to fruition radar signals could allow us to study objects as far as the orbit of Neptune from Earth.
新的發射機預計能夠捕捉並提供對經過地球附近的小型物體以及圍繞太陽系其他行星執行的衛星的詳細觀測。如果最終的計劃取得成果，雷達訊號可以讓我們研究從地球到海王星軌道的物體。