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And just once, it recorded a signal that got everyone excited,
仅一次，它记录下一组激动人心的信号
the "wow!" signal, as it became known.
也就是人们所熟知的wow信号
The signal was a steady source of radio waves,
信号显示了一阵稳定的无线电波来源
just the kind an alien race might send,
正是外星人可能发送的讯息类型
because it stands out from the radio static that fills the universe.
因为它从宇宙浩大的信息量中脱颖而出
A computer recorded the signal as six letters and numbers.
电脑以六个字母和数字记录下了这组信号
Astronomer Jerry Ehman saw the data
天文学家杰里·艾汉看过数据后
and wrote one word in the margin.
在页面边缘写下一个词
Ehman and others subsequently searched the same patch of sky many times
艾汉和他的同事们不断地搜寻这一片天空
But found nothing.
但却空手而归
The "wow!" signal had vanished.
wow信号消失了
The whole mysterious episode reveals that making contact
整个神秘事件揭示了
with aliens via radio is always going to be difficult.
用无线电与外星人取得联系的难度巨大
In such a vast universe,
在浩瀚的宇宙中
messages take a long time to reach their destination.
信息需要许久才能抵达目的地
The "wow" signal appeared to come from a star system 200 light years away.
wow信号似乎来自一个200光年外的星系
So it took at least 200 years to reach us.
所以这信号历经至少200年才传到地球
If we sent a reply, it would take another 200 years to reach them,
我们倘若回复，将耗费又一个200年传去信号
by which time they might have forgotten they sent anything
时至那时，它们也许已经忘记曾发送过信号
and stopped listening for a reply.
并早已放弃了等候回音
Worse, they might well have destroyed themselves in the meantime.
更糟的话，它们也许已经与此期间自我毁灭了
The human race very quickly discovered the power of the atom bomb.
人类在短时间内就发现了原子弹的威力
If the same holds for intelligent aliens,
如果智能外星人也有类似的发现
then they might not last long.
他们也许活不长久
Perhaps they all blow themselves up soon after
也许他们在发现E=mc2不久后
they discover that "E" equals "mc" squared.
就已毁灭了自己
If civilizations take billions of years to evolve
如果文明要历经百万年才能形成
only to vanish virtually overnight,
毁于一旦只是瞬间的事情
then, sadly, we've next to no chance of hearing from them.
很遗憾，我们几乎不可能听到来自他们的消息
They are simply too far away in space and time to reach.
他们的空间和时间对我们而言都太遥不可及
But there is one last possibility
但也有最后一种可能:
that aliens who have avoided destroying themselves
有效避免了自我毁灭的外星人
are already colonizing the universe.
正大张旗鼓地占领宇宙
