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cover of episode This Telescope Could Find "Planet 9"

This Telescope Could Find "Planet 9"

2025/4/25
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Short Wave
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Nell Greenfieldboyce
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Regina Barber
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Regina Barber: 我认为这个天文台最令人兴奋的地方在于它能够扫描几乎整个天空，这与大多数望远镜只关注特定目标的做法不同。它配备了世界上最大的数码相机，能够持续十年拍摄南半球天空的图像，这将产生前所未有的海量数据。这些数据将实时分析，通过比较图像来检测任何变亮、移动或变化的天体，这使得它成为寻找‘第九行星’的最佳机会。 Nell Greenfieldboyce: Vera C. Rubin天文台的概念起源于1996年，当时科学家Tony Tyson设想建造一个更大的数码相机，结合不断增长的计算能力，收集和分析大量天文数据。这个想法经过多年的努力，最终获得了资金支持并建成。天文台比其他大型望远镜更紧凑和坚固，减少了振动，提高了成像速度和稳定性。它的自动系统控制着望远镜的指向和拍摄，每36秒钟改变一次天空位置，这使得它能够在十年内观测到比人类历史上观测到的更多的天体。天文台的计算机系统会实时比较新旧图像，并向天文学家发出警报，以便对新发现进行后续观测。每天晚上会检测到大约1000万个变化，天文学家需要筛选这些变化来确定哪些是重要的。这将彻底改变天文学研究方式，天文学家需要从观测小片天空转向数据挖掘。至于寻找‘第九行星’，目前关于它的证据仅来自少数轨道异常的矮行星，而Vera C. Rubin天文台能够搜索更大的天空区域，从而提高发现这颗行星的几率。天文学家Mike Brown确信‘第九行星’的存在，并认为Vera C. Rubin天文台是寻找它的最佳工具。天文台的数据将在今年晚些时候公开发布，届时可能会发现‘第九行星’或更多轨道异常的矮行星。

Deep Dive

Chapters
The episode introduces the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a survey telescope in Chile with the world's largest digital camera. Its 10-year mission will continuously image the southern sky, generating unprecedented amounts of data and enabling real-time analysis to detect changes in the sky.
  • World's largest digital camera
  • 10-year survey of the southern sky
  • Real-time data analysis
  • Unprecedented amount of data

Shownotes Transcript

Some scientists are convinced that beyond Neptune, there's a planet they've yet to see. This so-called "Planet 9" is so far away, it would be a faint object. The stretch of sky researchers would have to search is huge. But a new astronomical facility on a mountaintop in Chile could help tackle the search. The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has been under construction for years. Now, scientists are finetuning its instruments so the telescope can begin its 10-year mission of taking images of almost the entire southern sky. **Read more of science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce's reporting here).********Want to hear more stories about the mysteries of space? Email us and let us know at [email protected]).Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at* plus.npr.org/shortwave*)*.*Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)