今天太陽照常升起,瑪雅人該嘲笑末日預言了大綱
THE world is definitely not coming to an end today, the winter solstice.
世界絕對不是在今天冬至日走向終結。Jesús Galindo Trejo, a Mexican researcher in astro-archeology, plasma astrophysics and solar physics, answers questions about the end-of-the-world prediction and the Mayan calendar, which ends today. He recently addressed a conference last month at Shanghai Tonji University.
Jesús Galindo Trejo，一個研究天文考古學、等離子體物理、天體物理學的墨西哥人，回答關於世界末日預言和瑪雅曆法的問題，即今天是末日。他上個月最近的一次會議發言是在上海同濟大學。Q: Are there any threats to Earth in 2012?
問：2012年會有什麼威脅到地球嗎？
A: The only real threat to Earth is the irresponsible conduct of man in the contamination of our planet. The probability of an impact of a meteorite or comet on Earth is so low that the most dangerous situation comes from our own star, the sun billions of years hence. According to the stellar evolution theory, in approximately 4.5 billion years, the sun will become a giant red star, its distance to Earth will shrink, all liquids will evaporate, and possibly the sun will absorb Earth. Then we will return to our origin. In 2012 there is nothing dangerous for Earth.
答：唯一真正威脅地球的是在污染我們星球方面人類不負責任的行爲。隕石和彗星影響地球的概率是如此之低，以至於最危險的處境來自我們自己的星球，在太陽幾十億年之後。根據恆星演化理論，在大約45億年之後，太陽將變成一個巨大的紅色星球，它和地球的距離會縮小，所有的液體會蒸發掉，可能太陽會吞噬地球。然後我們將返回到我們的起源。2012年對地球來說沒什麼危險。Q: What's the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?
問:什麼是2012年世界末日預言的起源？A: The so-called Mayan predictions are simply a rough extrapolation of a cultural theme from this prehispanic people. The origin of this assertion is a characteristic of the Mayan calendar, for which the date of this winter solstice could be written as . Some enthusiastic people in the United States think that this striking date must necessarily imply a mysterious message. They invented some prophecies that from the point of view of Mayan astronomy and culture are simply nonsense.
答：所謂的瑪雅預言只是來自史前人類的一個文化主題的粗略推斷。這種說法的起源是瑪雅曆法的特點，冬至的日期可以寫成。一些好奇的美國人認爲這個引人注目的日期必須必然意味着一個神祕的消息。他們從瑪雅天文學和文化的角度創造的一些預言根本是無稽之談。
Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?
問:瑪雅曆法是在2012年12月結束嗎？A: The Mayan calendar is an endless system. This situation is very similar to that in the year 2000. The next day after the winter solstice, the Mayans would have written the date as , and so on.
答:瑪雅曆法是一個無盡的系統。這種情況非常類似於2000年。冬至後第二天，瑪雅人將會把日期寫成13 0 0 0 1，等等。Q: Why does the Mayan calendar indicate a world end in 2012? Mayan astronomers were accurate in other planetary predictions.
問:爲什麼瑪雅日曆會暗示世界在2012年終結呢？瑪雅天文學家在其他行星方面都是預測準確的。A: Mayan astronomy made significant achievements. For example, the determination of the synodic period of Venus, the computation of solar eclipses and the commensurability of the Venusian and solar observational periods. However, the Mayans did not say anything about the end of the world. This assertion is a foolish modern over-interpretation, which shows ignorance of the Mayan culture.
答:瑪雅天文學取得顯著成就。例如，確定金星的會和週期，計算日食和金星的公度以及太陽的觀測週期。然而，瑪雅人沒有說任何關於世界末日的事。這種斷言是一種愚蠢的現代深意，它顯示了對瑪雅文化的無知。Q: How do you, as a senior researcher in cultural astronomy, feel about claims of the world ending in 2012?
問: 作爲一個文化天文學的高級研究員，你如何看待2012年世界末日的斷言呢？A: This global social and media phenomenon is typical sign of the times. People are tired of crises, religion and so on, and they look for new emotions. What triggers emotion in people? Phantoms, the end of the world, and other mysterious or catastrophic events.
答:這個全球社會和媒體的現象是典型的時代徵兆。人們已經厭倦了危機、宗教等等，他們尋求新的情感寄託。是什麼觸發了人們的情感呢？幻影，世界末日，以及其他神祕的或災難性的事件。Jesús Galindo Trejo has been a researcher for 20 years at the Astronomical Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City. He specializes in the archeo-astronomy of prehispanic Mexico and studies the influence of astronomy in ancient and contemporary cultures.
Jesús Galindo Trejo已經在墨西哥城的墨西哥國立自治大學天文研究所做了20年的研究員。他專於墨西哥特奧蒂瓦坎古城的考古天文學，以及研究天文學在古代和當代文化中的影響。
