美国名人 天文学家 帕西瓦尔·罗威尔.docx

美国名人天文学家帕西瓦尔罗威尔PercivalLowell'sWorkLedtotheDiscoveryofthePlanetPlutoplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-16:06repeatByMarioRitter2005-12-10(THEME)VOICEONE:mMaryTillotson.VOICETWO:AndmBobDoughtywiththeVOASpecialEnglishprogramPeopleinAmerica.Today,wetellaboutPercivalLowellwhoseworkledtothediscoveryoftheplanetPluto.HiseffortsandimaginationhelpedchangethehistoryofastronomyinAmerica.(THEME)VOICEONE:PercivalLowellcamefromaNewEnglandfamilywithalonghistoryinAmerica.TheLowellfamilyfirstcametothecolonyofMassachussettsinsixteenthirty-nine.OneofPercivalLowell'sancestors,JohnCabotLowell,manufacturedcloth.HebecameanimportantAmericanindustrialistinthelateEighteenthandearlyNineteenthCenturies.Percival'sfather,AugustusLowell,workedinthefamilyclothbusiness.HesettledhisfamilyinBoston,Massachusetts.Percivalwasbornthereineighteenfifty-five.Hehadayoungerbrother,AbbottLawrence,andayoungersister,Amy.VOICETWO:PercivalLowellattendedAmericanandEuropeanprivateschoolsasayoungman.HestudiedmathematicsatHarvardUniversity.AfterhefinishedhisstudiesatHarvardineighteenseventy-six,hetraveledinEuropeandtheMiddleEastforayear.Thenheworkedasafinancialofficerintheclothbusinessofhisgrandfather.Afterseveralyears,Percivalrealizedhewasnothappyasabusinessman.SohedecidedtotraveltoJapantostudyitscultureandlanguage.Whilethere,hewasaskedtogowithaspecialtradegroupfromKoreatoestablishtraderelationswiththeUnitedStates.VOICETWO(Cont):Ineighteeneighty-threezMisterLowelltraveledtoKoreaasadiplomat.HereportedonaclashtherebetweenKoreanandJapanesetroops.MisterLowellremainedinEastAsiafortenyears.HereturnedhomewheneachofhissixbooksaboutEastAsiansubjectswaspublished.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:PercivalLowellalsohadanintenseinterestinastronomyandmathematics.Ineighteenninety-threeheleftTokyoforthelasttimeandreturnedtotheUnitedStates.HedecidedtospendmoretimeobservingtheplanetMars.HehadstudiedobservationsbythefamousItalianastronomerGiovanniSchiaparelli.HefoundnotesthatdescribedmarkingsonMarsthatMisterSchiaparellicalled"canali"MisterLowellcametobelievethatintelligentlifecreatedthemarkingsonMars.VOICEONE(cont):Ineighteenninety-four,hebuiltanobservatorynearFlagstaff,Arizona.HehadtheworldfamoustelescopemakerAlvanClarkandSonsmakeatelescopeforhisobservatory.HebeganaprogramofobservingnotonlyMars,butalsoVenusandMercury.VOICETWO:MisterLowellpublishedhisfirstbookaboutMarsineighteenninety-five.Init,hedevelopedatheorythatintelligentlifehadcreatedwaterwaysalloverthesurfaceofMars.HistheorywasthatMartiansweretryingtobringwatertothewarmareasneartheequatoroftheplanet.MisterLowell'stheorieswerebasedonwhatwereseriousscientificstudiesofthattime.YethistheoriesaboutlifeonMarsmayhavehadmorelastinginfluenceonmanywritersofimaginarystories.ThreeyearsafterMisterLowell'sbookwaspublished,H-GWellspublishedhisfamousbook"WaroftheWorlds."MisterWells'storytoldofaMartianinvasionofEarth.TheMartiansthatheimaginedlivedonadryandwastedplanet.ThisisverysimilartoMisterLowell'sdescriptionofMars.MisterLowell'stheoriesaboutMarsalsoinfluencedEdgarRiceBurroughs.MisterBurroughsisbestknownforstoriesabout"Tarzan."HealsowroteaseriesofbooksaboutanAmericanwhotraveledtoMarsandfellinlovewithabeautifulprincess.Thepopularseriesbeganinnineteentwelvewith"ThePrincessofMars."VOICEONE:MisterLowell'sbook,"MarsandItsCanals,"waspublishedinnineteen-oh-six.Inthatbook,heexpandedhistheoryaboutMartianlife.HesaidhecouldseechangesintheseasonsonthesurfaceofMars.HesaidthedarkeningoftheMartiansurfaceduringsometimesoftheyearwascausedbythegrowthofplants.HistheoryofMartianlifebecamesocomplexthathemademapsofcitiesandwaterwaysontheplanet.PercivalLowelldidnotknowthathiseyesplayedapartinthemarkingshesawonMars.Expertsexplainthatthemovementofairintheatmosphereandnaturalqualitiesofthehumaneyecausedhimtoseemarkingsthatwerenotthere.VOICETWO:PercivalLowellalsostudiedtheeffectofgravityontheplanetNeptune.SmallchangesinthemovementofNeptuneledseveralastronomerstobelievethatanundiscoveredplanetwasaffectingNeptune'sorbit.MisterLowellcalleditPlanetX.MisterLowellhimselfsearchedforPlanetXfortwoyearsstartinginnineteen-oh-five.Hemadethesearchbycomparingtwopicturesofthesamepartofthesky.Thephotographswouldbetakenseveralweeksapart.Theastronomerwouldthencheckbothphotographs.Anobjectinthesolarsystemcouldbeidentifiedifitappearedtomovefromitsplaceintheearlierphotograph.However,thefirstsearchfailed.Infact,hefailedtorecognizePlanetXinafewphotographs.Hesearchedagainforitseveralyearslater.PercivalLowelldidnothavethechancetodiscoverPlanetX.HediedsuddenlyinNovember,nineteensixteen.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ThesearchforPlanetXdidnotrestartatLowellObservatoryforyears.Theninnineteentwenty-five,GuyLowell,arelativeofPercival,gainedcontroloftheobservatory.HedecidedtoseriouslysearchforPlanetX.HewantedtocontinuetheworkPercivalhadstarted.Inthefollowingyears,Percival'sbrother,AbbottLawrence,providedmoneytobuildaspecialphotographictelescope.Thenewtelescopewascompletedinearlynineteentwenty-nine.Thatyear,anobservatoryofficial,V.M.Slipher,offeredayoungmanajobworkingwiththenewtelescope.Theyoungman'snamewasClydeTombaugh.VOICETWOMisterTombaughgotajobaLowellObservatoryafterhesentdrawingsofhisobservationsofJupiterandMars.Hequicklylearnedhowbesttousethenewphotographictelescopeattheobservatory.Hecarefullyplannedhisresearchtomakethemostofhistime.OnFebruaryeighteenth,nineteenthirty,hediscoveredanunusualobjectafterlessthanoneyearofsearching.Theobjectmovedslowlyintheskylikeadistantplanet.PercivalLowell'sPlanetXhadbeenfound!OnMarchthirteenth,ClydeTombaughandV.MSlipherannouncedthediscoveryofanewplanet.Thedatewastheseventy-fifthanniversaryofMisterLowell'sbirth.MisterTombaughcontinuedtorecordthemotionofthenewplanetforthirteenyears.Hefoundmorethansevenhundredsmallbodiesthatorbitthesunzcalledasteroids.Healsodiscoveredanumberofstarsystemscalledgalaxies.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Duringhislife,PercivalLowelldidnotenjoythesuccesshehopedtofindinastronomy.HediedlongbeforethesearchforPlanetXresultedinthediscoveryofPluto.AndhistheoriesaboutwaterwaysandcomplexlifeonMarshavebeendisproved.Innineteensixty-five,NASA'sMarinerFourspacecraftshowedthatnowaterwaysexistedonMars.Yet,theinstitutionMisterLowellestablishedinFlagstaff,Arizona,hasmademanydiscoveriesinadditiontothatofPluto.EvidencethattheuniverseisexpandingwasfirstdiscoveredatLowellObservatorybyV.M.Slipher.Also,theringsaroundtheplanetUranuswerediscoveredthere.1.owellObservatorynowhasfourtelescopesandiscontinuingtoexpand.Itsupportsprogramsthatbringastronomytothepublic.AstronomersatLowellandmanyotherobservatoriescontinuetosearchforlifebeyondourplanet.TheireffortscontinuePercivalLowell'straditionofscientificinvestigation.(THEME)VOICETWO:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenbyMarioRitter.ItwasproducedbyCatyWeaver.mMaryTillotson.VOICEONE:AndmBobDoughty.JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPEOPLEINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.