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On September 1st, 1859, miners following the Colorado gold rush woke up to another sunny day. Or so they thought.
1859年9月1号，追随科罗拉多淘金热潮的矿工们在又一个晴天里醒来，至少他们以为如此。
To their surprise, they soon discovered it was actually 1 am; and the sky wasn't lit by the Sun, but rather by brilliant drapes of light.
没过多久，他们惊讶地发现现在实际上是凌晨一点；天空并不是被太阳、而是被绚丽的光幕点亮的。
The blazing glow could be seen as far as the Caribbean, leading people in many regions to believe that nearby cities had caught fire.
远在加勒比海的人都能看到这片炽热的光芒，导致许多地区的人都认为临近的城市着火了。
But the true cause of what would come to be known as the Carrington Event was a solar storm -- the largest in recorded history.
这背后真正的起因是有史以来最大的一次太阳风暴，后来被称为“卡灵顿事件”。
Solar storms are one of many astrophysical phenomena caused by magnetic fields.
太阳风暴是许多由磁场导致的天体物理现象之一。
These fields are generated by movements of electrically charged particles like protons and electrons.
磁场是由带电粒子的运动所产生的，比如质子和电子。
For example, Earth's magnetic field is generated by charged molten metals circulating in the planet's outer core.
举个例子，地球的磁场是由在外核循环的带电熔化金属所产生的。
Similarly, the Sun's magnetic field is generated by large convective movements in the plasma that composes the star.
太阳的磁场同样是在组成恒星的等离子体中大型对流运动所产生的。
As this plasma slowly swirls, it creates areas of intense magnetic activity called sunspots.
在等离子体缓慢的旋转中，它创造出了一块被称为太阳黑子的强烈磁活动区域。
The magnetic fields that form near these regions often become twisted and strained.
在这周围产生的磁场常常变得扭曲和紧绷。
And when they're stretched too far, they snap into simpler configurations, releasing energy that launches plasma from the Sun's surface.
当这些磁场过度地伸展，它们就会分裂成简单的结构，并且在太阳表面释放出能量，发射等离子体。
These explosions are known as coronal mass ejections.
这些爆炸被称为日冕物质抛射。
The plasma -- mostly made of protons and electrons -- accelerates rapidly, quickly reaching thousands of kilometers per second.
由多数质子和电子构成的等离子体迅速加速，很快达到了每秒数千米的速度。
A typical coronal mass ejection covers the distance between the Sun and the Earth in just a couple of days,
一个典型的日冕物质抛射可以在几天之内从太阳到达地球，
flowing along the magnetic field that permeates the solar system.
沿着散布在太阳系的磁场流动。
And those that cross the Earth's path are drawn to its magnetic field lines, falling into the atmosphere around the planet's magnetic poles.
经过地球路径的日冕物质抛射会被地球的磁场线吸引，在地球的磁极的附近落入大气层中。
This tidal wave of high-energy particles excites atmospheric atoms such as oxygen and nitrogen, causing them to rapidly shed photons at various energy levels.
这些高能粒子浪潮刺激了大气层中的原子，比如氧原子和氮原子，导致了它们在不同能量水平上迅速地放射光子。
The result is a magnificent light show we know as the auroras.
从而形成了华丽的亮光秀，也就是我们知道的极光。
And while this phenomenon is usually only visible near the Earth's poles,
虽然这种现象只能在地球两极的附近看到，
strong solar storms can bring in enough high energy particles to light up large stretches of the sky.
但是强烈的太阳风暴能带来足够多的高能粒子，来点亮大片大片的天空。
The magnetic fields in our solar system are nothing compared to those found in deep space.
我们太阳系中的磁场和外太空中的磁场相比来说太微不足道了。
Some neutron stars generate fields 100 billion times stronger than those found in sunspots.
一些中子星产生的磁场比在太阳黑子中发现的磁场强一千亿倍。
And the magnetic fields around supermassive black holes expel jets of gas that extend for thousands of light years.
而且，在超巨型黑洞附近的磁场释放出的气体喷流可以延伸至数千光年。
However, on Earth, even weak solar storms can be surprisingly dangerous.
然而，在地球上，即使微弱的太阳风暴也有惊人的危险性。
While the storms that reach us are generally harmless to humans,
虽然到达地球的风暴一般对人来说是无害的，
the high-energy particles falling into the atmosphere create secondary magnetic fields,
但落入大气层的高能粒子会产生次级磁场，
which in turn generate rogue currents that short-circuit electrical equipment.
同时也会产生导致电气设备短路的无序电流。
During the Carrington Event, the only widespread electrical technology was the telegraph.
在卡灵顿事件中，唯一普及的电力技术是电报。
But since then, we've only become more dependent on electrical systems.
但从那以后，人们变得更加依赖电力系统。
In 1921, another powerful solar storm caused telephones and telegraph equipment around the globe to combust.
1921年，另一场强烈的太阳风暴导致了全球电话和电报设备的燃烧。
In New York, the entire railway system was shut down and fires broke out in the central control building.
纽约的整个铁路系统都被关闭了，中央控制大楼还发生了火灾。
Comparatively weak storms in 1989 and 2003 turned off regions of the Canadian power grid and damaged multiple satellites.
1989年和2003年的风暴相对较弱，导致了加拿大地区电网的关闭，并损坏了多颗卫星。
If we were hit by a storm as strong as the Carrington Event today, it could devastate our interconnected, electrified planet.
如果我们今日被卡灵顿事件里同样强度的太阳风暴击中，这可能给我们这个互联、电气化的地球带来毁灭性的伤害。
Fortunately, we're not defenseless.
幸运的是，我们不是毫无防备。
After centuries of observing sunspots, researchers have learned the Sun's usual magnetic activity follows an 11-year cycle,
经过多个世纪人们对太阳黑点的观察，研究者发现太阳通常的磁力活动遵循着11年的周期，
giving us a window into when solar storms are most likely to occur.
这给了我们预测太阳风暴最有可能发生时段的机会。
And as our ability to forecast space weather has improved, so have our mitigation measures.
我们预知外太空天气的能力进步了，我们应对太阳风暴的措施也有了进一步的发展。
Power grids can be shut off in advance of a solar storm, while capacitors can be installed to absorb the sudden influx of energy.
电网可以在太阳风暴到来之前关闭，同时可以搭建电容器去吸收突然涌入的能量。
Many modern satellites and spacecraft are equipped with special shielding to absorb the impact of a solar storm.
许多现代的卫星和外太空飞船装备了特殊的屏蔽层，抵御太阳风暴带来的影响。
But even with these safeguards, it's hard to say how our technology will fare during the next major event.
但是，就算有了这些安全措施，我们还是很难确定我们的技术在下一个重大事件中会有什么表现。
It's possible we'll be left with only the aurora overhead to light the path forward.
我们可能只剩下头顶上的极光来点亮前进的方向。
