The sun is a tempestuous mistress - and her outbursts are becoming more and more violent as the weeks go on. 太阳是一个暴躁的主妇——几周以来她的爆发变得越来越猛烈。 NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spotted the summer's first 'X' solar flare on Friday - a huge outburst from the sun right at the top of the scale. NASA的太阳动态观测卫星周五观测到夏季以来的第一场X级太阳耀斑——这次大规模的爆发正处于太阳的顶部。 This came on the back of 12 'M' flares in just six days, with a M6.1 flare knocking out radio signals across the planet on Thursday - hinting at the destruction the sun could reign on our technology if Earth takes a full blast across its blow. 这次耀斑爆发之前，仅六天里已经爆发了12次M级的太阳耀斑。并且周四，一个M6.1级耀斑使得无线电信号受到干扰。如果地球接收到一次全分量的太阳耀斑，那么将对我们的科技造成毁灭性的打击。 The sunspot group behind the flares - named as AR1515 - stretches across 118,681 miles (191,000km) of the sun's surface. 此次耀斑后面的太阳黑子群被命名为AR1515——它在太阳表面绵延了118,681 英里 (191,000km)。 This makes it's width more than 15 Earths set end to end, said NASA solar astrophysicist C. Alex Young. 这使得该黑子群的宽度比15个地球首尾相接的距离还要大，NASA的天体物理学家亚历克斯.杨如是说。 Scroll down for video 向下滚动视频
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory saw an active region on the sun, labeled AR1515, sent out an M5.3 class solar flare that peaked on Independence Day July 4th, 2012 NASA的太阳动态观测卫星观测到太阳的一个活跃区域，并将它标识为AR1515，它在独立日当天2012/7/4日抛出峰值达到M5.3级的太阳耀斑。
You can fit 15 Earths in there: The solar flare AR1515 in close-up 你可以将15个地球安放在那里：AR1515太阳耀斑特写镜头 The biggest flares are known as 'X-class flares' based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength. 最大级别的耀斑为X级耀斑，它基于这样的一个分类系统，即根据太阳耀斑的强度来分类。 The smallest ones are A-class, which are similar to normal background levels, followed by B, C, M and X. 最小级别为A级，它与正常背景水平相似，之后为B、C、M、X级。 Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a 10-fold increase in energy output, meaning an X is ten times an M and 100 times a C. 与描述地震的里氏震级类似，每一个字母代表能量爆发增至上一级的10倍。也就是说，X级耀斑的强度是M级的10倍，C级的100倍。 The sun is now heading into the peak of its 11-year solar flare cycle, with 2013 expected to the tumultuous year. 太阳正在步入11年太阳耀斑活动周期的峰值，而2013年是其最为活跃的年份。 With the increased spread in communications in the last 11 years, a sever solar storm could cause huge issues for the planet. 由于过去11年里通讯不断的拓宽，一场猛烈的太阳风暴将对地球造成巨大破坏。
This image, captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows the M5.3 class solar flare that peaked on July 4, 2012 这张图片，由NASA的太阳动态观测卫星捕捉，它显示了M5.3级太阳风暴在2012/7/4达到峰值的场景
SUMI'ss instruments are designed to study magnetic fields of the sun's chromosphere -- a thin layer of solar atmosphere sandwiched between the visible surface, photosphere and its atmosphere, the corona SUMI望眼镜被设计用来研究太阳色球层的磁场区域——色球层是太阳大气层的一个薄层，它处于可见外层光球层和日冕之间。 Radio blackouts occur when the X-rays or extreme UV light from a flare disturb the layer of Earth's atmosphere known as the ionosphere, through which radio waves travel. 当太阳耀斑带来的X射线或极端紫外线干扰地球的电离层时，会造成无线电中断，因为无线电波在电离层中传播。 The constant changes in the ionosphere change the paths of the radio waves as they move, thus degrading the information they carry. 电离层的不断变化改变了在其内部传播的无线电波的路径，而无线电波承载的信息也减少了。 This affects both high and low frequency radio waves alike. 这种影响对于高低频率无线电的影响是类似的。 The same region has also produced numerous coronal mass ejections or CMEs. They have been observed and modeled by NASA's Space Weather Center (SWC) and are thought to be moving relatively slowly, traveling between 300 and 600 miles per second. 发生太阳耀斑的区域也产生众多的日冕物质抛射。根据NASA的空间气象中心（SWC）的观测和模拟，日冕物质抛射移动相对缓慢，大概300~600英里/秒。 Since the active region itself is so southerly in the sun, CMEs from this region are generally unlikely 因为该活跃区域位于太阳相对很南面的位置，该区域的日冕物质抛射不会 to impact Earth. 影响到地球。
The chromosphere is a narrow layer above the photosphere that raises in temperature with height. Normally, it can't be seen by the naked eye because the light from the photosphere of the Sun overpowers it. The coloring of the chromosphere (deep red) is caused by the immense hydrogen supply it contains 色球层是位于光球层外侧的薄层，温度随着高度的增加而升高。通常，裸眼不能看见色球层，因为光球层的光线强度盖过了它。色球层（深红色区域）的颜色是因为它有大量的氢气供应。 Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an M5.6-class solar flare erupting from the sun's surface starting on July 2, from a huge sunspot called AR1515 in the sun's southern hemisphere. NASA太阳动态观测卫星7/2日观测到太阳表面喷射出的M5.6级的太阳耀斑，它来自太阳南半球一个叫做AR1515的太阳黑子。 The blast of particles - a 'coronal mass ejection' - was not directed towards Earth, but the charged particles caused brief radio interference across Europe. 伴随耀斑出现的日冕物质喷射虽然并不正对地球，但带电粒子还是在短时间内对欧洲的无线电通讯造成影响。 From a different spot, but on that same day, the sun unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME) that began at 4:36 AM on Tuesday. 周二，7/2日，凌晨4：36，太阳的另一个黑子开始释放出日冕物质喷射。 Models from the NASA's Space Weather Center at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md, described the CME at traveling at nearly 700 miles per second, but do not show it heading toward Earth. 根据位于马里兰州格林贝尔特（Greenbelt）的NASA戈达德太空飞行中心的模型，该日冕物质喷射以700英里/秒的速度运动，但是它没有朝向地球运动。 Sunspots are darker than the surrounding area because they are slightly cooler, which makes them less luminous. 太阳黑子比起周围区域颜色更深些，因为它们温度稍低，这使得它们不那么光亮。 They are caused by the sun’s magnetic field becoming twisted – and it’s this twisting dynamic that can produce coronal mass ejections. 太阳黑子是由太阳磁场扭曲引起的，正式这种扭曲导致了日冕物质喷射。 These contain billions of tons of gases bursting with X-rays and ultraviolet radiation. 日冕物质喷射包含了数十亿吨充满大量X射线和紫外辐射的气体。 They are mind-bogglingly hot – around 100,000,000C and the result of ionised solar particles becoming imprisoned by Earth’s magnetic field, exciting the gases in the atmosphere and emitting bursts of energy in the form of light. 这些气体的温度高达100,000,000摄氏度。如果电离的太阳粒子被地球磁场捕获，将激发大气中的气体，而能量将以光的形式释放出来。 However, these particles can also cause magnetic storms, which in extreme cases have been known to disrupt satellites and electricity grids. 然而，这些粒子同样能引起磁风暴，磁风暴带来的已知最极端的事件是破坏了卫星和电网。 In 1989, a CME was held responsible for leaving six million people in Quebec, Canada, without power. 在1989年，日冕物质抛射导致加拿大魁北克电力中断，600万人受到影响。 Solar activity runs in 11-year cycles, with the current one peaking in 2013, so more violent space weather is on the horizon. 太阳活动以11年为一个周期，将在2013年达到一个峰值，所以更剧烈的太空天气即将来临。 Dr Matthew Penn, of the National Solar Observatory in Arizona, said recently: 'Because the sun is becoming more active, it will have an impact on millions of people. Sunspots can cause the biggest and most damaging space storms that occur. 来自位于亚利桑那州国家太阳天文台的 Matthew Penn博士近期说：“因为太阳变得更加活跃，它将对数千万的人们带来影响。太阳黑子能够引起最大规模和最大破坏力的太阳风暴” 'During the next two years, we are expecting the number of sunspots visible on the sun to reach a maximum. We know that sunspots are the source of a lot of space weather and solar storms, so we expect a larger number of solar storms here at the Earth.’ “在接下来的两年里，我们预计太阳表面可见的太阳黑子数量将达到最大值。我们知道太阳黑子是许多空间天气和太阳风暴的来源，所以我们将在地球看到更大数量的太阳风暴。” |
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