Once there was a star. Like everything else, she was born; grew to be around 30 times the mass of our sun and lived for a very long time.
曾经有一颗恒星。像其他的事物一样，她诞生了；她的体积等于我们太阳的30倍，存在了一段非常长的时间。
Exactly how long, people cannot really tell. Just like everything in life,
到底有多长？没有人知道。就像自然界中的一切一样，
she reached the end of her regular star days when her heart, the core of her life, exhausted its fuel. But that was no end.
她走到了恒星生涯的尽头，她的内心，生命之核，燃尽了所有燃料。但这还不是终结。
She transformed into a supernova, and in the process releasing a tremendous amount of energy,
她转变成了一颗超新星，在这个过程中，她释放出大量的能量，
outshining the rest of the galaxy and emitting, in one second, the same amount of energy our sun will release in 10 days.
比宇宙其他的一切更闪亮，并且在短短一秒中，释放了相当于太阳10天才能释放的能量。
And she evolved into another role in our galaxy.
接着，她进化为我们宇宙中的其他角色。
Supernova explosions are very extreme. But the ones that emit gamma rays are even more extreme.
超新星爆炸十分剧烈。但是释放出伽马射线的那一种爆炸更为剧烈。
In the process of becoming a supernova, the interior of the star collapses under its own weight and it starts rotating ever faster,
在变成超新星的过程中，恒星的内部由于自身重量过大而坍塌，它开始以更快的速度旋转，
like an ice skater when pulling their arms in close to their body.
就像一位将手臂收拢的滑冰者。
In that way, it starts rotating very fast and it increases, powerfully, its magnetic field.
以那种方式，它开始飞快旋转，十分快速地增强它的磁场。
The matter around the star is dragged around,
恒星周围的物质被吸引过来，
and some energy from that rotation is transferred to that matter and the magnetic field is increased even further.
一些旋转产生的能量也转化成那种物质，磁场随之变得更强了。
In that way, our star had extra energy to outshine the rest of the galaxy in brightness and gamma ray emission.
渐渐地，我们的恒星有了额外的能量，在亮度与伽马射线释放量的上比银河系其他部分更耀眼。
My star, the one in my story, became what is known as a magnetar.
我的故事中的恒星，就成为了所谓的磁星。
And just for your information, the magnetic field of a magnetar is 1,000 trillion times the magnetic field of Earth.
给大家一个概念，磁星的磁场是地球磁场的1000万亿倍。
The most energetic events ever measured by astronomers carry the name gamma-ray bursts
天文学家迄今测量到最为剧烈的活动被命名为伽马射线爆发，
because we observe them as bursts most or explosions, most strongly measured as gamma-ray light.
因为当我们观察它们的时候，我们测量出它们的释放与爆炸程度与伽马射线一样强。
Our star, like the one in our story that became a magnetar, is detected as a gamma-ray burst during the most energetic portion of the explosion.
一颗恒星，就像我们的故事中变成磁星的那一颗一样，当爆炸最为剧烈的部分发生时，就会被检测为伽马射线爆发。
Yet, even though gamma-ray bursts are the strongest events ever measured by astronomers, we cannot see them with our naked eye.
然而，即便伽马射线爆发是天文学家迄今为止所测量过最激烈的事件，我们仍旧不能以肉眼看到它们。
We depend, we rely on other methods in order to study this gamma-ray light.
我们只能凭借其他的方式来研究这种伽马射线光。
We cannot see them with our naked eye.
我们的肉眼看不到它们。
We can only see an itty bitty, tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that we call visible light.
我们只能看到电磁光谱中极其，极其微小的部分，我们称之为可见光。
And beyond that, we rely on other methods.
除此之外，我们也依赖其他方式。
Yet as astronomers, we study a wider range of light and we depend on other methods to do that.
然而作为一名天文学家，我们研究更广的光域，也要依赖于其他的方式来实现。
On the screen, it may look like this. You're seeing a plot. That is a light curve.
在屏幕上，它也许看起来像这样。你们正在看一张曲线图。这是光曲线。
It's a plot of intensity of light over time. It is a gamma-ray light curve.
这是关于光强度随着时间变化的图。这是伽马光曲线。
Sighted astronomers depend on this kind of plot in order to interpret how this light intensity changes over time.
视觉正常的天文学家依赖这种图，来更好地理解光强随时间的变化。
On the left, you will be seeing the light intensity without a burst, and on the right, you will be seeing the light intensity with the burst.
在左侧，你们会看到没有爆发时的光强，在右侧则是有爆发时的光强。
Early during my career, I could also see this kind of plot. But then, I lost my sight.
在我事业的早期，我也能看到这样的图。但后来，我失明了。
I completely lost my sight because of extended illness, and with it,
由于长期疾病，我完全丧失了视觉，
I lost the opportunity to see this plot and the opportunity to do my physics.
因此，我失去了看这张图以及从事物理学研究的机会。
It was a very strong transition for me in many ways. And professionally, it left me without a way to do my science.
在许多方面，于我而言，都是一段艰难的转变期。从职业的角度上讲，疾病断送了我的科研之路。
I longed to access and scrutinize this energetic light and figure out the astrophysical cause.
我渴望接触并揣摩这种能量充沛的光，并探索出天体物理层面的成因。
I wanted to experience the spacious wonder, the excitement, the joy produced by the detection of such a titanic celestial event.
我想去探索这种巨大的奇迹，并体会它带给人的兴奋，一种探索如此重要的天文事件产生的欢愉。
I thought long and hard about it, when I suddenly realized that all a light curve is, is a table of numbers converted into a visual plot.
我一直苦思冥想，突然间意识到一切光曲线都是一张转化成可视图的数字表。
So along with my collaborators, we worked really hard and we translated the numbers into sound.
因此我与合作者通力合作，绞尽脑汁将数字转化为了声音。
I achieved access to the data, and today I'm able to do physics at the level of the best astronomer, using sound.
我实现了对数据的接触与访问，今天，得益于声音，我能以顶尖天文学家的水准，从事物理学研究。
And what people have been able to do, mainly visually, for hundreds of years, now I do it using sound.
人们已经能够去做的事，大多是可视的，延续了数百年，如今我以声音实现了。
Listening to this gamma-ray burst that you're seeing on the... Thank you.
我用听觉感受你们用肉眼看到的...谢谢。
Listening to this burst that you're seeing on the screen brought something to the ear beyond the obvious burst.
伽马射线的爆发，可以给耳朵带来一些超越了单纯爆炸声的东西。
Now I'm going to play the burst for you. It's not music, it's sound.
现在，我将为你们播放这一段爆炸声。没有旋律，只是一种声音。
This is scientific data converted into sound, and it's mapped in pitch. The process is called sonification.
这是转换成音波的科学数据，运用音高的变化来呈现。这个处理过程称为超声波处理。
So listening to this brought something to the ear besides the obvious burst.
因此聆听这种声音会为耳朵带来比简单的爆炸声更多的信息。
When I examine the very strong low-frequency regions, or bass line -- I'm zooming into the bass line now.
当我研究这种非常强劲的低频区，或是低音区--我现在切换到低音区部分。
We noted resonances characteristic of electrically charged gasses like the solar wind.
我们注意到带电气体的声音回响的特征，就像太阳风。
And I want you to hear what I heard. You will hear it as a very fast decrease in volume.
现在，我想让你们聆听我所听到的。你们接下来要到一段急速减弱的声音。
And because you're sighted, I'm giving you a red line indicating what intensity of light is being converted into sound.
因为你们视觉正常，我会标注一条红线，来指示转换成声音的射线的强度。
The... is frogs at home, don't pay attention to that.
那个口哨声是家里的青蛙，请不要在意。

I think you heard it, right?
你们都听到了吧？
So what we found is that the bursts last long enough in order to support wave resonances,
我们发现，爆炸要持续足够长才能产生声波回响，
which are things caused by exchanges of energy between particles that may have been excited, that depend on the volume.
回响是由颗粒之间的能量交换产生的，不同的音量也许使这些颗粒受到了不同程度的激发。
You may remember that I said that the matter around the star is dragged around?
你们也许记得我讲过恒星周围的物质会被星体拖走。
It transmits power with frequency and field distribution determined by the dimensions.
它传递的能量具有频率和场分布特性，这是由维度决定的。
You may remember that we were talking about a super-massive star that became a very strong magnetic field magnetar.
你们也许记得我们讲过一颗超重恒星成为了一颗拥有超强磁场的磁星。
If this is the case, then outflows from the exploding star may be associated with this gamma-ray burst.
如果是这样，正在爆炸的恒星发生的喷流，有可能与这个伽马射线爆发有关。
What does that mean? That star formation may be a very important part of these supernova explosions.
这意味着什么？那颗恒星的形成可能是超新星爆炸的重要组成部分。
Listening to this very gamma-ray burst brought us to the notion
聆听伽马射线爆发让我们注意到，
that the use of sound as an adjunctive visual display may also support sighted astronomers in the search for more information in the data.
用声音来辅助视觉显示，也许可以同样帮助到正在寻找更多数据资讯的非视障天文学家。
Simultaneously, I worked on analyzing measurements from other telescopes,
同时，我也从事基于其他望远镜的测量分析，
and my experiments demonstrated that when you use sound as an adjunctive visual display,
我的实验证明了，当你把声音当作一种辅助性视觉显示工具，
astronomers can find more information in this now more accessible data set.
天文学家就可以在目前可访问的数据集中了解更多信息。
This ability to transform data into sound gives astronomy a tremendous power of transformation.
这个将数据转化为声音的能力，带给了天文学一种前所未有的强大转换力。
And the fact that a field that is so visual may be improved
事实上，一个只对视觉正常的人可见的领域，
in order to include anyone with interest in understanding what lies in the heavens is a spirit-lifter.
可以通过把那些对天空中有什么感兴趣的人们加入进来的方式，得到改善。这很让人振奋。
When I lost my sight, I noticed that I didn't have access to the same amount and quality of information a sighted astronomer had.
当我失明时，我注意到我无法和其它视觉正常的天文家一样获取丰富且高质的信息。
It was not until we innovated with the sonification process
直到我们在超声波处理上有所创新时，
that I regained the hope to be a productive member of the field that I had worked so hard to be part of.
我才重新开始希望能为这个领域作出贡献，并为之奋斗。
Yet, information access is not the only area in astronomy where this is important.
然而，获取信息并非是天文学唯一重要的部分。
The situation is systemic and scientific fields are not keeping up.
目前它们是互相关联的，但科学界对此尚未跟进。
The body is something changeable -- anyone may develop a disability at any point.
我们的身体是脆弱的--任何人在任何时候都有致残的可能。
Let's think about, for example, scientists that are already at the top of their careers.
试想，例如，那些在各自领域卓有成就的科学家。
What happens to them if they develop a disability? Will they feel excommunicated as I did?
当他们残疾时会怎么样？他们会和我一样感到孤独无依吗？
Information access empowers us to flourish.
我们通过获取信息得以发展。
It gives us equal opportunities to display our talents and choose what we want to do with our lives,
它给予了我们完全平等的机会来展现自己的才能，让我们可以自主选择要做的事情，
based on interest and not based on potential barriers.
基于兴趣而不必受到各种限制。
When we give people the opportunity to succeed without limits, that will lead to personal fulfillment and prospering life.
当人们通往成功的路变得畅通无阻时，这将会给他们一种自我满足感，进而带来富足的生活。
And I think that the use of sound in astronomy is helping us to achieve that and to contribute to science.
我认为声音在天文学中的应用，正帮助我们达成这个目标，并促进科学的发展。
While other countries told me that the study of perception techniques in order to study astronomy data is not relevant to astronomy
然而其他国家告知我，以研究天文数据为目的的感知技术的研究与天文学无关，
because there are no blind astronomers in the field, South Africa said, "We want people with disabilities to contribute to the field."
因为目前这个领域还没有视障的天文学家，南非的表态是，“我们希望残疾人士可以为这个领域贡献自己的力量。”
Right now, I'm working at the South African Astronomical Observatory, at the Office of Astronomy for Development.
于是目前，我正在南非天文观测站的天文学发展性研究办公室工作。
There, we are working on sonification techniques and analysis methods to impact the students of the Athlone School for the Blind.
在那里，我们利用超声波处理技术以及分析手段，帮助阿斯隆盲人学校的学生。
These students will be learning radio astronomy, and they will be learning the sonification methods
这些学生将会学习射电天文学，以及利用超声波处理方法
in order to study astronomical events like huge ejections of energy from the sun, known as coronal mass ejections.
来研究天文事件，比如研究从太阳喷射出的巨大能量，就是你们熟知的日冕物质抛射。
What we learn with these students -- these students have multiple disabilities and coping strategies that will be accommodated
我们从这些学生身上学到了--这些学生罹患多重残疾，但我们有应对的方法，
what we learn with these students will directly impact the way things are being done at the professional level.
我们从这些学生上学到的经验会影响我们在专业领域处理事情的做法。
I humbly call this development. And this is happening right now.
我把它称之为“发展”。现在，“发展”正在发生。
I think that science is for everyone.
我认为科学是每个人的。
It belongs to the people, and it has to be available to everyone, because we are all natural explorers.
它属于全人类，它应当对所有人都敞开大门，因为我们都是天生的探索者。
I think that if we limit people with disabilities from participating in science, we'll sever our links with history and with society.
我认为如果人们因为残疾而被限制，不能参与到科学活动中来，历史与社会的桥梁将因此轰塌。
I dream of a level scientific playing field, where people encourage respect and respect each other,
我向往一个公平的科研竞争环境，人们相互鼓励与尊重，
where people exchange strategies and discover together.
相互交换自己的策略和研究发现。
If people with disabilities are allowed into the scientific field, an explosion, a huge titanic burst of knowledge will take place, I am sure.
如果残疾人得以获得科学领域的入场券，知识之泉将以洪荒之力爆发、喷涌，我很确信这一点。
That is the titanic burst. Thank you. Thank you.
这是一次激烈的喷涌。谢谢。谢谢。