它扁平的形状意味着土卫八曾经旋转得非常快,完成一次自转需要16个小时。
Its flattened shape implies that Iapetus once spun very quickly, completing a rotation in 16 hours.
究竟土星的卫星土卫八发生了什么事?
这个发现给土卫八之谜提供了一个可能的解释。
The discovery offers a possible solution to the mystery of the moon Iapetus.
视频接着回到蓝色的土卫八轨道展示了土星系统。
The movie then zooms back into the system to show the orbit of the moon Iapetus in blue.
科学家们认为光环外侧的物质向内移动并猛烈撞击“土卫八”。
Scientists think material from the outer ring moves inward and slams into Iapetus.
土卫八有高的山脊沿着其赤道,像胡桃木的接缝一样。
The moon has a tall ridge running along its equator, like a walnut's seam.
科学家们认为,之后这个小卫星又开始向土卫八坠落。
This mini-moon then started to fall back towards Iapetus, they argue.
“土卫八”表面的碎片与已知存在于“菲比”上的物质的成分相似。
Debris on the surface of Iapetus has a similar composition to material known to exist on Phoebe.
甚至只是对于土星的卫星土卫八粗略地一瞥,也足以表露出它的古怪。
EVEN a cursory glance at Saturn's moon Iapetus reveals it to be an oddball.
有半边的土卫八已经暗到即使从地球观看,还是几乎消失的样子。
Half of Iapetus is so dark that it can nearly disappear when viewed from Earth.
而另一半边的土卫八则是相对明亮但是怪异地布满又长又细的深色条纹。
The other half of Iapetus is relatively bright but oddly covered with long and thin streaks of dark.
对土星的卫星伊阿珀托斯(Iapetus,土卫八)即便是匆忙一瞥,也会发现它奇特不已。
Even a cursory glance at Saturn's moon Iapetus reveals it to be an oddball.
光环与土卫9运行方向相同,但与包括土卫八在内的大部分土星卫星和土星主要光环反向。
The ring is circling in the same direction as Phoebe, while Iapetus, the other rings and most of Saturn's moons are all going the opposite way.
不管事实到底如何,这些山脉确实非常壮观,而且使得土卫八看起来像太空中的一个核桃。
Whatever the truth, the range is remarkable and makes Iapetus look like a walnut in space.
新环和土卫9的运行方向与土星主光环以及包括较大的土卫六和土卫八的大部分卫星的方向相反。
Both the ring and Phoebe orbit in the opposite direction of Saturn's other rings and most of its moons, including Titan and Iapetus.
这道光环也可以解开另一个卫星“土卫八” (Iapetus)的迷团。 “土卫八”一侧发光,另一侧很暗。
The ring may answer the riddle of another moon, Iapetus, which has a bright side and a very dark side.
这提示科学家:就像虫子落在挡风玻璃上一样,外环中的黑暗尘埃微粒也会移向土卫八,并溅落在其冰冻表面上。
According to the scientists, some of the dark and dusty material from the outer ring moves inward toward Iapetus, slamming the icy moon like bugs on a windshield.
这个光环的发现或许有助于解释关于土星另一卫星“土卫八”(Iapetus,又译为亚佩特斯)的一个古老而神秘的谜。
The discovery may explain a long-standing mystery surrounding another of Saturn's moons, Iapetus.
土卫八较暗的一面实在是非常的黑暗,它覆盖着土卫八正对公转的半球被认为在绕土星公转时被宇宙空间扫除了一些黑色的物质,所以它只是表面的一层不足一米的薄层。
It covers the moon's leading hemisphere - the side that faces forward as it moves in its orbit - which suggests that the black material has been swept up from space as the moon moves around Saturn.
土卫八较暗的一面实在是非常的黑暗,它覆盖着土卫八正对公转的半球被认为在绕土星公转时被宇宙空间扫除了一些黑色的物质,所以它只是表面的一层不足一米的薄层。
It covers the moon's leading hemisphere - the side that faces forward as it moves in its orbit - which suggests that the black material has been swept up from space as the moon moves around Saturn.
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