水星 ê 鈉尾

探索宇宙¹！逐工會揀一幅無仝款 ê 影像抑是相片，𤆬你熟似咱這个迷人 ê 宇宙，閣有專業天文學者²為你解說³。

• 原始文章：Mercury’s Sodium Tail
• 影像來源 kah 版權：Sebastian Voltmer
• 台文翻譯：An-Li Tsai (NCU)

[漢羅] 水星 ê 鈉尾

彼毋是彗星喔！ Tī 昴宿星團 下跤翕粒，是水星。 對 太陽系上內底翕粒行星 長時間感光，會看著一个料想外 ê 物件：一條尾溜。 水星 薄薄 ê 大氣層 內底有少量 ê 鈉元素，會去予太陽光激發發光。 太陽光嘛會共 水星表面 ê 分子放出來，捒去較遠 ê 所在。 尤其是 ùi 鈉元素 發出 ê 黃光，是有較光。 這張深空相片是頂禮拜 tī 西班牙 La Palma 翕 ê，咱看會著水星 kah 伊 ê 鈉尾。 毋閣這是有鬥濾光片翕 ê，會予發出鈉元素 ê 黃光 透過來。 頭一擺 預測 水星有尾溜是 tī 1980 年代，頭一擺去 hŏng 揣著 是 tī 2001 年。 有一隻 ùi 2011 到 2015 年 踅水星咧行 ê NASA 信使號機器人太空船，對水星 做足濟觀測，提著足濟尾溜 ê 細節。 是講，一般咱講著 尾溜，攏是咧講 彗星 ê 尾溜較濟。

[POJ] Chúi-chhiⁿ ê La̍p-bóe

He m̄-sī hui-chhiⁿ o͘h! Tī Báu-siù-seng-thoân ē-kha hip lia̍p, sī Chúi-chhiⁿ. Tùi Thài-iông-hē siōng lāi-té hip lia̍p kiâⁿ-chhiⁿ tn̂g sî-kan kám-kng, ē khòaⁿ-tio̍h chi̍t ê liāu-sióng gōa ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ: chi̍t tiâu bóe-liu. Chúi-chhiⁿ po̍h-po̍h ê tōa-khì-chân lāi-té ū chió-liōng ê la̍p goân-sò͘, ē khì hō͘ thài-iông-kng kek-hoat hoat-kng. Thài-iông-kng mā ē kā Chúi-chhiⁿ piáu-bīn ê hun-chú pàng–chhut-lâi, sak khì khah hn̄g ê só͘-chāi. Iû-kî sī ùi la̍p goân-sò͘ hoat-chhut ê n̄g-kng, sī ū khah kng. Chit tiuⁿ chhim-khong siòng-phìⁿ sī téng lé-pài tī Se-pan-gâ La Palma hip ê, lán khòaⁿ-ē-tio̍h Chúi-chhiⁿ kah i ê la̍p-bóe. M̄-koh che sī ū tàu lū-kng-phìⁿ hip ê, ē hō͘ hoat-chhut la̍p goân-sò͘ ê n̂g-kng thàu–kòe-lâi. Thâu chi̍t pái ū-chhek Chúi-chhiⁿ ū bóe-liu sī tī 1980 nî-tāi, thâu chi̍t pái khì hŏng chhōe-tio̍h sī tī 2001 nî. Ū chi̍t chiah ùi 2011 kàu 2015 nî se̍h Chúi-chhiⁿ leh kiâⁿ ê NASA Sìn-sú-hō ke-khì-lâng thài-khong-chûn, tùi Chúi-chhiⁿ chò chiok-chōe koan-chhek, the̍h tio̍h chiok chōe bóe-liu ê sè-chiat. Sī kóng, it-poaⁿ lán kóng tio̍h bóe-liu, lóng sī leh kóng hui-chhiⁿ ê bóe-liu khah chōe.

[KIP] Tsuí-tshinn ê La̍p-bué

He m̄-sī hui-tshinn ooh! Tī Báu-siù-sing-thuân ē-kha hip lia̍p, sī Tsuí-tshinn. Tuì Thài-iông-hē siōng lāi-té hip lia̍p kiânn-tshinn tn̂g sî-kan kám-kng, ē khuànn-tio̍h tsi̍t ê liāu-sióng guā ê mi̍h-kiānn: tsi̍t tiâu bué-liu. Tsuí-tshinn po̍h-po̍h ê tuā-khì-tsân lāi-té ū tsió-liōng ê la̍p guân-sòo, ē khì hōo thài-iông-kng kik-huat huat-kng. Thài-iông-kng mā ē kā Tsuí-tshinn piáu-bīn ê hun-tsú pàng–tshut-lâi, sak khì khah hn̄g ê sóo-tsāi. Iû-kî sī uì la̍p guân-sòo huat-tshut ê n̄g-kng, sī ū khah kng. Tsit tiunn tshim-khong siòng-phìnn sī tíng lé-pài tī Se-pan-gâ La Palma hip ê, lán khuànn-ē-tio̍h Tsuí-tshinn kah i ê la̍p-bué. M̄-koh tse sī ū tàu lū-kng-phìnn hip ê, ē hōo huat-tshut la̍p guân-sòo ê n̂g-kng thàu–kuè-lâi. Thâu tsi̍t pái ū-tshik Tsuí-tshinn ū bué-liu sī tī 1980 nî-tāi, thâu tsi̍t pái khì hŏng tshuē-tio̍h sī tī 2001 nî. Ū tsi̍t tsiah uì 2011 kàu 2015 nî se̍h Tsuí-tshinn leh kiânn ê NASA Sìn-sú-hō ke-khì-lâng thài-khong-tsûn, tuì Tsuí-tshinn tsò tsiok-tsuē kuan-tshik, the̍h tio̍h tsiok tsuē bué-liu ê sè-tsiat. Sī kóng, it-puann lán kóng tio̍h bué-liu, lóng sī leh kóng hui-tshinn ê bué-liu khah tsuē.

[English] Mercury’s Sodium Tail

That’s no comet. Below the Pleiades star cluster is actually a planet: Mercury. Long exposures of our Solar System’s innermost planet may reveal something unexpected: a tail. Mercury’s thin atmosphere contains small amounts of sodium that glow when excited by light from the Sun. Sunlight also liberates these molecules from Mercury’s surface and pushes them away. The yellow glow from sodium, in particular, is relatively bright. Pictured, Mercury and its sodium tail are visible in a deep image taken last week from La Palma, Spain through a filter that primarily transmits yellow light emitted by sodium. First predicted in the 1980s, Mercury’s tail was first discovered in 2001. Many tail details were revealed in multiple observations by NASA’s robotic MESSENGER spacecraft that orbited Mercury between 2011 and 2015. Tails, of course, are usually associated with comets.

詞彙學習（漢羅/POJ/KIP/華語/English）

• 【水星】Chúi-chhiⁿ/Tsuí-tshinn/水星/Mercury
• 【鈉】la̍p/la̍p/鈉/Sodium
• 【鈉尾】la̍p-bóe/la̍p-bué/鈉尾/sodium tail
• 【昴宿星團】Báu-siù-seng-thoân/Báu-siù-sing-thuân/昴宿星團/Pleiades star cluster
• 【信使號太空船】Sìn-sú-hō thài-khong-chûn/Sìn-sú-hō thài-khong-tsûn/信使號太空船/MESSENGER spacecraft
• 【濾光片】lū-kng-phìⁿ/lū-kng-phìnn/濾光片/filter
• 【彗星】hui-chhiⁿ/hui-tshinn/彗星/comet
• 【1980 年代】i̍t-kiú-pat-khòng nî-tāi/i̍t-kiú-pat-khòng nî-tāi/1980 年代/in the 1980s
• 【2001 年】jī-khòng-khòng-it nî/jī-khòng-khòng-it nî/2001 年/in 2001
• 【2011 年】jī-khòng-it-it nî/jī-khòng-it-it nî/2011 年/in 2011
• 【2015 年】jī-khòng-it-ngó͘ nî/jī-khòng-it-ngóo nî/2015 年/in 2015