他们正在捕捉 - [Voiceover] They are capturing photons
穿越太空的光子。 racing through space,
测量它们的能量， measuring their energies,
找出它们的来源。 and pinpointing their sources.
包括哈勃太空望远镜在内的 An army of high tech instruments
一大群高科技仪器正在凝视着 including the Hubble Space Telescope,
宇宙中越来越遥远的角落。 is peering into ever more distant corners of the universe.
他们正在收集大量的数据 They are reeling in enormous volumes of data
科学家们在模型中使用这些数据 that scientists use within models
来解释星系是如何形成的。 to explain how galaxies took shape.
恒星如何产生与死亡 How stars live and die.
宇宙是如何为生命创造舞台的。 And how the universe set the stage for life.
我们对这个世界和我们自己 What are we learning about the origins
的起源了解多少 of our world and ourselves
在这个哈勃的时代 in this age of Hubble
有一种清晰的 There is a clarity, a brilliance to space
地球上根本不存在的太空光辉。 that simply doesn't exist on Earth,
宇航员格斯·格里森写道。 wrote the astronaut Gus Grissom.
没有其他地方能让你如此充分地意识到 Nowhere else can you realize so fully
我们地球的威严 the majesty of our Earth and be so awed
和敬畏的思想 at the thought that it's only one
它只是数不清的行星中的一个 of untold thousands of planets.
对于宇航员和观星者来说， For astronauts and stargazers,
宇宙召唤我们去 the universe beckons us to explore it
探索和了解它 and to wonder,
万物是怎么产生的？ how did it all come about
我们如何与之相处？ and how do we fit in?
有没有其他的世界像我们一样，充满了生命？ Are there other worlds like our own, rich with life?
今天，这些问题正在因天文学的 Today, these questions are being raised anew
不断进步而被重新提出 by bold advances in the science of astronomy.
哈勃太空望远镜于1990年发射 The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in the year 1990,
用于捕捉遥远空间的原始光线。 to capture the pristine light of distant space.
它就像一支天基望远镜舰队 It led a fleet of space based telescopes,
被派去探索遥远的星系 sent up to probe distant galaxies,
黑洞 black holes,
恒星 stars,
行星 planets.
太空的优势使卫星能够 The vantage of space allows satellites
捕获被地球大气层 to capture light that is blocked or distorted
阻挡或扭曲的光线。 by Earth's atmosphere.
从穿过尘埃云的长波红外线， From long-wave infrared light
揭示恒星形成区域或星系中 that passes through dust clouds, revealing hidden structures
隐藏的结构。 in star forming regions or galaxies,
超新星爆炸产生的高能X射线 to high energy x-rays, from supernova explosions
或黑洞的环境 or the environments of black holes.
当这些物体的光到达我们的时候， By the time the light of these objects reaches us,
它已经旅行了数百万年甚至数十亿年 it has traveled millions or even billions of years.
它携带着关于宇宙是 It carries with it information about
如何形成的信息。 how the universe came to be what it is.
将望远镜送入太空 Sending telescopes into space was part
是一场更大的技术革命的一部分。 of a larger technological revolution.
在世界各地的山顶上，科学家们开始制造 On mountaintops around the world, scientists began building
新一代的巨型望远镜。 a new generation of giant telescopes.
其中，有位于智利的 Among them, The Very Large Telescope array
巨大的望远镜阵列 or VLT, in Chile.
凯克、斯巴鲁和双子座望远镜 The Keck, Subaru and Gemini telescopes
位于夏威夷的莫纳凯亚山顶。 on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
这些高科技仪器配备了 These high tech instruments are equipped
有史以来最大的镜头。 with the largest mirrors ever built.
它们必须几乎完美无缺， They have to be nearly flawless
才能捕捉到 to capture the trickle of photons
宇宙远处的光子流。 from distant reaches of the universe.
他们的反射镜非常光滑 The VLT mirrors, for example, are so smooth
如果你把它放大到巴黎那么大， that if you blew one up to the size of Paris,
它的表面也只有一毫米的变化。 its surface would vary by only a millimeter.
这些精密反射镜 To the powerful light gathering abilities
有强大的聚光能力，科学家 of these precision mirrors, scientists added
还添加了计算机程序和复杂的光学系统， computer programs and sophisticated optics,
旨在消除大气中 designed to cancel out distortions in starlight
湍流造成的星光畸变。 caused by turbulence in our atmosphere.
目的是什么？ The purpose?
为了让地球上层的空间更加清晰。 To gain the clarity of space here on Earth.
科学家们现在已经在他们的发现装备库中 Scientists have now added a powerful new weapon
添加了一种强大的新武器 to their arsenal of discovery.
利用物理定律模拟重要宇宙事件的 Supercomputer programs that use the laws of physics
超级计算机程序。 to simulate important cosmic events.
他们使用这些虚拟望远镜 They use these virtual telescopes
来精确地模拟宇宙的运动。 to literally set the universe in motion.
为了验证宇宙 To test theories about how the cosmos evolved
是如何形成的理论 on the largest scales,
以及物体的形成和相互作用。 and how objects form and interact
从巨大的星系团 from immense galaxy clusters
到太阳系和行星。 down to solar systems and planets.
其中最重要的 Among the most important revelations in this age of Hubble
哈勃望远镜时代的意义是 is a deepening sense of the scales and the forces
定义宇宙的尺度和力量。 that define the universe.
古希腊人根据对夜空的观察， Based on their view of the night sky,
他们认为地球是宇宙的中心。 the ancient Greeks saw Earth at the center of creation.
哲学家亚里士多德 The philosopher, Aristotle, described a series
记录了55个，每一个都在运动的天体 of 55 celestial spheres, with each moving
以此方法来计算行星或恒星 in a way that predicted the positions
在其中的位置 of planets or stars within them.
他认为星星是由地球上 The stars, he said, are made of a pure substance
所找不到的纯净物质构成的 not found on Earth, thus, the outer spheres
因此，那些星球是众神的家园。 they inhabit are home to the Gods.
几个世纪后，科学家们已知道 Centuries later, scientists would learn
地球是绕太阳转的， that Earth revolves around the Sun,
行星聚集在一起，构成了太阳系。 in an assemblage of planets, a solar system.
一个世纪前，他们推断 A century ago, they deduced that our Sun
我们的太阳只是其他数十亿颗恒星之一 is one of billions of other stars
恒星围绕着圆盘结构来移动，构成银河系。 moving around a disc-like structure, the galaxy.
在这个圆盘的宇宙之外是什么？ What laid beyond this island universe?
空间的延伸有多远？ How far did space extend?
天文学家爱德华·哈勃和一位名叫米尔特·胡马森的助手， Working with the new 100 inch telescope
在加州威尔逊山上 on California's Mount Wilson, astronomer Edward Hubble
使用新的100英寸望远镜 and an assistant named Milt Humason,
分析了天空中模糊的斑点 analyzed the life of blurry patches of sky,
他们发现这些斑点 known as nebulae.
实际上是星云。 They found that these patches were actually
这些星云位于我们银河系之外。 galaxies unto themselves, located far beyond our Milky Way.
这些星云中的许多个，正在远离我们。 Many of them in fact, are moving away from us.
他们离得越来越远，速度越来越快。 The farther away they are, the faster they are receiving.
这些发现推动了一种 These findings sparked the rise
全新的宇宙模型学说的兴起。 of a whole new model of the universe.
宇宙比我们想象的要大得多 It's much larger than we imagined,
宇宙中充满了无数的星系 filled with countless galaxies
并且还一直在变大。 and growing larger all the time.
60多年后，科学家们发射了 Over six decades later, scientists launched
哈勃望远镜 Hubble's namesake,
太空望远镜 the telescope in space,
帮助我们定义了宇宙膨胀率 to nail down the parameters he helped define,
的确切参数 the cosmic expansion rate,
和计算距离， as well as a scale for calculating distances.
知道了这两个数字， Knowing these two numbers would allow astronomers
能帮助天文学家建立一个宇宙进化的时间线， to establish a timeline for cosmic evolution,
从而能回到宇宙最初的时刻。 going all the way back to the earliest moments of time.
我们的出发点来自 The starting point comes to us courtesy of the so-called
宇宙诞生之后的 cosmic microwave background radiation,
宇宙微波背景辐射发出的光 light emitted not long after the universe was born.
COBE、WMAP和普朗克卫星观测到这种光 Reading this light, the COBE, WMAP and Planck satellites
显示当时宇宙的密度 showed that the universe began
开始出现了明显的变化。 with widespread variations in its density.
从这个斑点状的照片来看 From this blotchy pattern, gravity has sculpted
引力塑造了我们现在在望远镜中看到的星系的排列。 the arrangement of galaxies we now see in our telescopes.
我们的星系和它的邻居， Our galaxy and its neighbors,
它们与一个更大的星系团联系在一起 are tied to a larger grouping, the Virgo Cluster,
那是距离我们5000万光年远的处女座星系团。 some 50 million light years away.
它位于超级星团的中心， It's at the center of a supercluster,
10000个星系。 10,000 galaxies strong.
来自这个星系的中心 From this intergalactic hub, filaments of galaxies
星系的细丝向四面八方向外延伸 extend outward in all directions
形成一个巨大的发光网 forming a vast luminous web.
这个宇宙发光网延伸了多远？ How far out does this cosmic web extend?
它是如何形成的， How did it come to be
未来又将如何演变？ and how will it evolve in the future?
天文学家正在寻求答案 Astronomers sought answers and even
甚至寻求更精确地测量宇宙膨胀。 more precise measurements of cosmic expansion.
使用哈勃望远镜和地面望远镜的组合 Using a combination of Hubble and ground based telescopes,
他们在寻找被称为白矮星的 they'd look for a type of sun-like star
一种自燃的类似太阳的恒星 that had burned itself out called a white dwarf.
如果这些微小的致密残余物中的一个 If one of these tiny dense remnants
碰巧绕着另一个恒星或另一颗白矮星， happens to orbit another star or another white dwarf,
它可能开始从它的同伴身上吸收能量 it may begin to draw mass from its companion.
到了临界点， At a critical threshold, it begins to undergo
它开始发生热核反应。 a thermonuclear reaction.
芝加哥大学和阿贡国立实验室的科学家 Scientists at the University of Chicago
一直在实验室模拟 and Argonne National Lab have been simulating
随后发生的事件链 the chain of events that follows.
炙热的灰尘开始上升到表面。 Hot ash begins rising to the surface.
它环绕着恒星，当它爆发时， As it breaks out, it wraps around the star.
相互碰撞触发了爆炸 A collision on the other side triggers the explosion.
这些Ia型超新星被认为 These Type Ia supernovae are thought
在宇宙中的任何地方都以相同的方式 to all explode in the same way
和相同的亮度爆炸。 with the same luminosity wherever they are in space.
因为它们非常的亮， And because they are so bright,
所以它们是测量极端距离的理想选择。 they are ideal for measuring extreme distances.
这就像在高速公路上看到的 It's like looking at cars with identical headlights,
有着相同前灯的汽车。 approaching on a highway.
它们离得越远就越暗。 The dimmer they appear, the farther away they are.
但是当天文学家开始观察这些宇宙座标时， But when astronomers began looking at these cosmic beacons,
他们注意到一些意想不到的事情。 they noticed something unexpected.
他们把亮度和另一种测量方法结合起来， They combined their brightness with another measure,
他们的光线转成红色的程度越大， how far their light had shifted to the red.
宇宙自从恒星爆炸以来 The larger the shift, the more the universe
就膨胀得越多。 had expanded since the star had exploded.
根据红色变化的情况， Some explosions look dimmer than expected
一些爆炸看起来比预期的要暗。 based on their red shift.
这意味着他们的光 That meant their light had traveled
已经传播了很远的距离才到达我们这里。 an even greater distance to reach us.
这使得天文学家得出结论， That led astronomers to conclude
宇宙的膨胀速度 that the cosmic expansion rate
宇宙深处是缓慢的。 was slower in the deep vast.
膨胀一定是加速了 It must have accelerated for the universe
才使宇宙达到目前的大小。 to reach its current size.
导致空间加速的力仍然是未知的。 The force causing space to speed up is still unknown.
科学家称之为暗能量， Scientists refer to it as dark energy
它可能就在我们周围。 and it may be all around us.
太空不是真空的，而是充满了 Far from being empty, the vacuum of space
不断涌出的能量 is filled with energy, that constantly wells up
以相反电荷的 in the form of particles of opposite charge,
物质和反物质的粒子形式存在。 matter and antimatter.
根据一个目前广为接受的理论， According to a theory that has gained wide acceptance,
宇宙开始时时真空的 the universe began when this vacuum
不知怎么的，它进入了一个更高的能量状态， was somehow tipped into a higher energy state,
使空间和时间突然膨胀。 causing space and time to suddenly inflate.
原始能量的微小波动 Tiny fluctuations in the primordial energy
产生压力波或波纹。 generated pressure waves or ripples.
它们引起了密度的变化， They gave rise to density variations
重力随着时间的推移而增大 which gravity amplified over time
在望远镜中看到的网状结构中。 into the web-like structures seen in telescopes.
分析出宇宙在膨胀 Taking cosmic expansion into account,
位于可见宇宙边缘的星系 galaxies out at the edge of the visible universe
离我们有460亿光年远 are 46 billion light years away from us,
从每个方向 in each direction.
也可能还更加的远 There may be much more to it.
宇宙的大爆炸 The fury of cosmic inflation would have caused
会导致宇宙在很短的时间 the universe to go from atomic size
在无限空间内从原子大小 to cosmological size within an infinite
变成现在的规模 (indistinct) short time.
宇宙作为一个整体， The universe as a whole, would have grown
将增长到比目前可观测到的规模 to some 10 billion, trillion times
大约100亿万亿倍的的大小。 the size of the observable universe.
换句话说， Put another way, the new theory says
新理论认为整个宇宙 the whole universe is to the observable universe,
是可观测的宇宙 as the observable universe
就像一个原子 is to an atom.
那么，这会给我们带来什么样的伟大事件呢？ So where does that leave us in the grand scheme of things?
自从太阳系和银河系被发现以来， Since the discoveries of the solar system and the galaxy,
我们发现自己被限制在 we find ourselves confined
一个越来越小的角落里。 to an ever smaller corner of creation.
然而，在这个哈勃的时代， And yet, in this age of Hubble,
我们已经知道了 we have learned just how much
我们是宇宙的产物 we are a product to the universe
一个巨大的宇宙体系 and of a great cosmic continuum
这可以追溯到时间的开始。 that reaches back to the beginning of time.
从某种意义上说，我们自己的故事显得很重要。 In a sense, our own story looms large.
它始于最早的一代恒星和星系， It began with the earliest generation of stars and galaxies,
当时宇宙里充满了氢气 at a time where the universe was awash in hydrogen gas.
当第一颗恒星形成时， When the first stars formed, they began generating
它们开始在核心产生氧和碳。 oxygen and carbon in their cores.
其中一些爆炸产生了更重的元素， Some exploded, generating heavier elements
如铁、金或镁 like iron or gold or magnesium,
当这些元素以尘埃的形式 while spreading these elements far and wide
扩散开来时。 in the form of dust.
这部动画描绘了公元1054年 This animation depicts a supernova
中国天文学家发现的一颗超新星。 spotted by Chinese astronomers in the year 1054 AD.
这颗恒星被彻底摧毁了， The star was utterly destroyed
除了一个城市大小的旋转的超致密核心 except for a spinning ultra dense core
中子星 the size of a city, a neutron star
膨胀的气体和尘埃云。 and an expanding cloud of gas and dust.
仍以每秒1000公里的速度增长。 Still growing at a rate of 1,000 kilometers a second.
天文学家们一直在仔细研究蟹状星云。 Astronomers have been poring over the Crab Nebula.
他们发现 What they found is that the filaments
从爆炸中喷出的物质细丝 of matter that roared out of the blast
含有大量的尘埃， contain large volumes of dust,
吸收可见光的是一系列 an array of mostly carbon or silicate compounds
主要由碳或硅酸盐组成的化合物 that absorb visible light.
这些固体颗粒 These solid particles are crucial
对太阳系的形成至关重要。 for the formation of solar systems.
在蟹状星云内， Within the Crab Nebula, there is enough dust
有足够的尘埃能形成大约3万到4万个地球。 to make some 30 to 40 thousand Earths.
随着时间的推移，在无数次的恒星爆炸之后， Over time, and after countless stellar explosions,
我们银河系的尘埃象聚集在稠密的口袋里一样 dust has collected in dense pockets throughout our galaxy.
在整个星系际空间 But dust grains can be found throughout
也能发现尘埃颗粒。 intergalactic space as well.
有些可能来自最早的超新星。 Some might have come from the earliest supernovas.
还有另一个来源。 There is another source as well.
自20世纪60年代以来， Since the 1960s, astronomers have been studying
天文学家一直在研究 bright beacons of light that shine
从遥远星系中心射出的明亮的光线。 from the centers of distant galaxies.
他们发现了类星体的动力源， A quasar's power source they found,
是一个已经发展到数百万倍、 is a black hole that has grown to millions,
甚至是数十亿倍太阳质量的黑洞。 even billions of times the mass of our own Sun.
他们认为 The thinking is, that magnetic fields
磁场从一个物质盘上射出， beam off a disc of matter, then spiraling
然后在其极端引力的作用下螺旋进入黑洞。 into the black hole, drawn by its extreme gravity.
这些磁场将一部分流入的物质 These fields channel a portion of the inflowing matter
输送到强大的粒子束中。 out into powerful particle beams.
喷流是远离黑洞的 The jet is part of a larger rush of matter
更大物质流的一部分。 away from the black hole.
你可以在一个叫做NGC 3783的大旋涡星系中看到它， You can see it in a large spiral galaxy called NGC 3783,
距地球3000万光年。 30 million light years from Earth.
天文学家使用位于智利的超大望远镜阵列 Astronomers use the Very Large Telescope array in Chile's
阿塔卡马沙漠，这个星系的核心 Atacama Desert to peer into the core of this galaxy
研究一个超大质量黑洞的环境。 to study the environment of a super massive black hole.
强烈的辐射使流入黑洞的物质盘中 From a disc of matter flowing into the black hole,
产生了一股沙尘风 intense radiation had created a dusty wind
它在向上移动并远离黑洞。 that is moving up and away from the black hole.
尘埃的来源可能是几代恒星 The source of the dust is likely generations of giant stars
它们位于银河系的中心区域。 that lived and died in the galaxy's central region.
现在黑洞风被认为 Black hole winds are now thought to have had
对整个宇宙产生了重大影响。 a major impact on the universe at large.
你可以在早期宇宙演化的模拟中看到它。 You can see it in a simulation of early cosmic evolution.
从时间起点后1200万年开始， From a starting point 12 million years after time zero,
这个计算机模拟显示了一个 this computer simulation shows the evolution
宽度大约3.5亿光年的宇宙斑块的演化过程。 of a cosmic patch, some 350 million light years across.
不是每件事我们都清楚发生了什么 Not every thing is known about what happened
包括一种被称为暗物质的 including the nature of a dominant substance
主导物质的性质。 known as dark matter.
在模拟的范围内， Within the volume of this simulation,
数以万计的星系 tens of thousands of galaxies take shape
沿着宇宙网的线形成。 all along the strands of the cosmic web.
在丝状物相交的地方， Where the filaments intersect, something happens
会发生一些影响每个星系特征的事情 that will affect the character of every galaxy,
恒星和行星 star and planet.
巨大的热气泡开始向外膨胀。 Gigantic bubbles of hot gas begin to expand outward.
当物质流入大的中心星系 They form when matter flows into large central galaxies
并被隐藏在其核心的超大质量黑洞射出时， and gets blasted out by super massive black holes,
它们就形成了。 lurking in their cores.
随着时间的推移， In time, these hot bubbles push out
这些热气泡远远地被推到中心星系之外。 well beyond the central galaxies.
这将会限制 This has the effect of limiting the amount of gas
进入中心地区的气体数量， that can fall into central regions,
像我们这样的小星系 allowing smaller galaxies like ours
被允许在外围形成 to form on the periphery.
早期恒星产生所的大量气体和尘埃 The bubbles spread huge volumes of gas and dust
被这些气泡扩散了。 created in earlier generations of stars.
全宇宙的星系 Galaxies all around the universe
都见证了这一尘土飞扬的过程 bear witness to this dusty legacy.
著名的风车星系明亮的中心区域 The bright central region of the famous Pinwheel Galaxy
被黑暗的尘埃带所包围。 is surrounded by dark, dusty lanes.
在最常见的类型，旋涡星系中， In spiral galaxies, the most common type,
爆炸的恒星所产生的热风 hot winds from exploding stars help push
将这些云推向外围， these clouds towards the periphery,
以及上面和下面的扁平圆盘。 as well as above and below their flat discs.
在我们观察银河系的圆盘时， You can see evidence of this in our view
你可以看到这一点的证据。 into the disc of the Milky Way galaxy.
黑暗的尘埃带和怪异的云层 Dark dust lanes and ominous clouds
左右着我们对圆盘的看法， dominate our view into the disc,
在它上面远远的地方，有卷须般的灰尘。 while tendrils of dust reach far above it.
这里，在银河系的平面上方， Here, above the plane of the galaxy,
离地球只有400光年 just 400 light years from Earth
是一种密集的不规则尘埃云，叫做豺狼座4。 is a dense irregular cloud of dust called Lupus 4.
我们的太阳，我们的太阳系可能就是 Our Sun, our solar system likely formed
在这样的云中形成的。 in a cloud like this.
豺狼座4有一天会产生一个 Lupus 4 may one day give rise
类似NGC 3590的星团， to a star cluster like NGC 3590,
在星系平面附近 a region of dust and glowing gas
由尘埃和发光气体组成的区域。 near the plane of the galaxy.
这些年轻的恒星可能都是同时出生的， These young stars were probably all born at the same time,
在同一片云中。 within the same cloud.
尘埃的制造和扩散 The manufacture and spread of dust
是我们银河系中一个长期持续的过程。 is an ongoing process in our galaxy.
以船底星云为例， Consider the Carina Nebula,
它距离地球7500光年， located 7,500 light years away,
跨度约250光年。 it spans some 250 light years across.
在它的中心是巨大的恒星，埃塔船底座， At its center is the giant star, Eta Carinae,
它是我们银河系中已知的 one of the largest and most unstable stars
最大和最不稳定的恒星之一。 known in our galaxy.
它被膨胀的双极尘埃 It is surrounded by an expanding
和气体云所包围， bipolar cloud of dust and gas,
在拉丁语中被称为小矮人。 known as the Homunculus, or Little Man in Latin.
天文学家认为， Astronomers believe it was expelled
它是在1838年至1845年那场 during what they called the Great Eruption
他们称之为“大喷发”的喷发中被喷出来的。 in the years 1838 to 1845.
它的质量是太阳的100倍， With a mass over 100 times that of our Sun,
这颗恒星随时都可能爆炸。 this star could explode at anytime.
然而，在更大的尘埃和气体云中， And yet, in the larger cloud of dust and gas,
恒星们正以狂热的姿态诞生。 stars are being born at a fever pitch.
在这里，附近炽热的 Here, a pillar of dust is being eroded
大质量恒星发出的紫外线激流 by a torrent of ultra violet light
正在侵蚀一个尘埃柱。 from hot, massive stars nearby.
它的顶部有一个密集的区域可以抵挡这些冲刷风， A dense region at the top resists these scouring winds,
给一个年轻的恒星时间去孵化。 giving a young star time to incubate.
流入恒星的气体和尘埃 Gas and dust flowing into the star
正从其两极喷射出来。 are being blasted out in jets coming from its poles.
在所有星座中， Of all the constellations, few attract
很少有比猎户座更能吸引崇拜者的了。 more admirers than Orion.
在它里面是每一个观星者的梦想 Within it is a stargazer's dream,
大猎户座星云，一个明亮的气体和尘埃城堡， the Great Orion Nebula, a luminous castle of gas and dust,
1300光年远， 1,300 light years away.
在天空中它大概有满月那么大。 It's roughly the size of a full moon on the sky.
它的中心是一颗被称为梯形的星团， At its heart is a star cluster called the Trapezium,
伽利略最先发现了一个灿烂的底层。 a brilliant formation first discovered by Galileo.
它排出紫外线辐射的风， It pumps out a wind of ultra violet radiation
导致周围区域发光。 that causes the surrounding region to glow.
这些大恒星发出的带电粒子流与尘埃云相撞， These large stars emit streams of charged particles
形成一个由弧和气泡 that collide with dust clouds forming a frothy landscape
组成的泡沫状景观。 of arcs and bubbles.
这些风也扰乱了 These winds are also disrupting the growth
正在形成的数百个太阳的生长系统。 of hundreds of solar systems in the making.
尽管有这些风， Despite these winds, some solar systems
一些太阳系仍然能够存活下来。 still manage to come to life.
使用哈勃太空望远镜， Using the Hubble Space Telescope,
科学家们一直在把它们 scientists have been drawing them out
从明亮而模糊的环境中分离出来。 of their bright and hazy surroundings.
数千个太阳系 Thousands of solar systems are being born
诞生于猎户座星云及其周围 in and around the Orion Nebula,
在恒星大爆炸所提供的稠密的化学物质里。 in a rich chemical soup provided by large exploding stars.
在所有的尘埃中， Amid all the dust, scientist have detected
科学家们发现了大量的水。 huge volumes of water.
它从哪里来的， Where does it come from
又是如何形成的？ and how does it form?
在某些情况下，水是恒星死亡的产物。 In some cases, water is the by-product of a star's death.
当像太阳这样的中等大小恒星 When a medium sized star like our Sun
耗尽其核心的氢时， uses up the hydrogen in its core,
它变得不稳定，外层开始脱落。 it becomes unstable, shedding its outer layers.
螺旋星云是一颗膨胀成五颜六色 The Helix Nebula is a star that has puffed out
环状炽热的气体和尘埃的恒星。 into a colorful ring of glowing gas and dust.
原始恒星的一小部分残骸， A tiny remnant of the original star,
被称为白矮星，用刺眼的紫外线照它的环， called a white dwarf, scours the ring
破坏特定的化合物， with harsh ultraviolet light that destroys
包括一氧化碳。 particular compounds, including carbon monoxide.
释放出来的氧与氢 The oxygen that's set free combines with hydrogen
结合形成水分子。 in a molecule that forms water.
垂死的星星不是唯一的水源。 Dying stars are not the only source of water.
距地球750光年， 750 light years from Earth,
一颗名为L1448MM的原恒星 a protostar called L1448MM
正在用含有氧和氢的高速喷流 is shooting matter out in high speed jets
喷射物质。 containing oxygen and hydrogen.
当这些分子到达较冷的环境时， When these molecules reach a cooler environment,
它们就形成水， they form water, at a rate 100 million times
是亚马逊河流量的1亿倍。 the flow of the Amazon River.
水随后成为 Water then becomes part of the dynamic
太阳系诞生动力的一部分。 of a solar system's birth.
科学家们试图通过在超级计算机中模拟行星 Scientists have sought to better understand the formation
来更好地了解行星的形成。 of planets by simulating it in a supercomputer.
重力导致中心区域坍塌， Gravity causes a central region to collapse
尘埃和气体的流入 and dust and gas to flow in.
它形成一个围绕新生恒星旋转的圆盘。 It forms a disc that swirls around the newborn star.
整个过程中，水就像胶水一样， Along the way, water acts like a glue,
让灰尘颗粒形成更大的身体， allowing dust grains to form larger bodies,
从岩石逐渐变成彗星、小行星和炽热的行星。 from rocks to comets, asteroids and fiery planets.
在智利的高原沙漠上， Up on the high deserts of Chile,
天文学家一直在使用 astronomers have been using the Atacama
阿塔卡马大型望远镜阵列 Large Millimeter/submillimeter Telescope Array
来窥视新生恒星的动荡环境。 to peer into the turbulent environments of newly born stars.
其中一个，离我们450光年远， One of them, 450 light years away,
被称为HL Tauri。 is known as HL Tauri.
这颗恒星年龄不超过一百万年 The star is no more than a million years old
但有迹象表明， but there are signs that planet formation
行星的形成已经在进行中。 is already underway.
它炽热的核心包裹在一团气体和尘埃中， Its hot core is cocooned in a cloud of gas and dust,
太阳星云。 the solar nebula.
当物质流入恒星时， As matter flowed into the star,
它已沉降成一个原始行星盘。 it has settled into a protoplanetary disc.
这个圆盘有一系列的凹槽， This disc has a series of telltale grooves
表明行星的引力已经开始扫过尘埃。 where the gravity of planets has begun to sweep up the dust.
太阳星云内的尘埃携带着建造像我们这样的行星 Dust within the solar nebula carries all the material needed
所需的所有物质，包括有机化合物。 to build a planet like ours, including organic compounds.
那么，地球是如何获得水的呢？ So, how did Earth get its water?
答案可能从我们的恒星开始。 The answer may begin with our star.
当太阳从核心的核燃烧中放出热量时， As the Sun vents heat from nuclear burning in its core,
它产生一股稳定的质子风， it generates a steady wind of protons
到达太阳系的边缘 that reach to the edges of the solar system.
当这股风遇到了 This wind encounters dust particles
在太阳系中飘荡的尘埃粒子， that are wafting through the solar system,
会被行星引力吸引 attracted by the gravity of planets.
每年约有4万吨尘埃和岩石 Some 40 thousand tonnes of dust and rocks
降落到地球上， rain down onto the Earth each year,
40到50亿年前 leftovers from the birth of the solar system
太阳系诞生时留下的残渣。 four to five billion years ago.
人们早就知道行星际尘埃中 Interplanetary dust has long been known to carry
携带有机物或碳化合物， organic or carbon compounds,
这些物质能够在穿越地球大气层的旅程中幸存下来。 able to survive the journey through Earth's atmosphere.
科学家最近在尘埃颗粒本身上 Scientists recently found something else
发现了其他东西。 on the dust particles themselves.
太阳风中的氢离子或质子 Hydrogen ions or protons from the solar wind
撞击这些粒子物质。 strike these particles.
当这些质子与氧和硅酸盐矿物颗粒相互作用时， When these protons interact with oxygen
它们形成水分子， and silicate mineral grains, they form H2O molecules
然后附着在这些颗粒上。 which then cling to the particles.
这一过程记录在 This process was documented in lunar dust grains
阿波罗号宇航员收集的月球尘埃颗粒中。 picked up by Apollo astronauts.
可能这就是 It may be the source of water ice
在散布月球表面的陨石坑里 that has collected in the bottom of some lunar craters
的底部水冰的来源 and just strewn about lunar landscapes.
除了落在地上的水尘， In addition to watery dust raining down onto the Earth,
这或许可以解释 this may explain how comets and asteroids
彗星和小行星是如何产生水 were able to generate stores of water
储备并将其带到地球上的。 and to bring them down to Earth.
由于水是如此容易产生和扩散， Given that water is created and spread so readily,
它渗透到我们的太阳系中并不奇怪。 it's not surprising that it pervades our own solar system.
在太阳系的边缘，冥王星和它的卫星 At its edges, Pluto, and its moon Charon,
被一层厚厚的一层冰冻甲烷和水冰 are lined with a thick layer of frozen methane
所覆盖。 and water ice.
蓝色的海王星和天王星， The blue planets, Neptune and Uranus,
它们的颜色来自于 get their color from the methane clouds
组成它们寒冷大气的甲烷云。 that make up their frigid atmospheres.
在它们的内部，带电粒子在液态水的海洋中循环， Within, charged particles circulate in a sea of liquid water
产生电流和磁场。 producing electrical currents and magnetic fields.
在土星环的褶皱内 Within the folds of Saturn's rings
有无数的冰粒子。 are countless particles of ice.
在它上方盘旋的是它的卫星，土卫二， Hovering just above them is the moon, Enceladus,
冰面使它成为 with an icy surface that makes it one of the brightest
整个太阳系中最明亮的天体之一。 objects in the entire solar system.
卡西尼号宇宙飞船探测到 The Cassini Spacecraft detected jets of water ice
从它的南极射出的水冰喷射。 shooting out of its south pole.
科学家认为水冰来自于它的内部海洋， Scientists believe they are coming from an interior ocean,
被土星引力的挤压作用后喷射出来。 launched by the squeezing action of Saturn's gravity.
太阳系最大的行星，木星， The largest planet, Jupiter, harbors
拥有自己的水仓库。 its own storehouse of water.
沿着其表面漂移的风暴 The storms that drift along its surface
是水汽像雷雨一样起伏 are the result of water vapor rising and falling
所造成的结果 like thunderstorms.
在木星动荡的大气层之外有一个水的世界， Beyond Jupiter's roiling atmosphere lies a water world,
木星的第二颗卫星，木卫二。 Jupiter's second moon, Europa.
它明亮光滑的表面上有纵横交错的沟渠和凹槽， Its bright, smooth surface is criss-crossed
这些沟渠和凹槽是由下面的液态水 by channels and grooves, carved out by shifts
或浮冰海洋中的移动所雕刻出来的。 in an ocean of liquid water or slushy ice that lies below.
照片中所示的水射流的微弱发射 The faint emissions of water jets illustrated here
是哈勃太空望远镜最近发现的。 were recently picked up by the Hubble Space Telescope.
然后是地球，一个水行星。 Then there's Earth, a water planet.
巨大的，相互连接的水体， Vast, interconnected bodies of water,
海洋覆盖着地球71%的表面。 the oceans cover 71% of its surface.
现在，科学家们已经探测到了 And now, scientists have detected whole oceans
隐藏在地球深处岩石中的整个海洋。 hidden in rocks deep inside the planet.
关于生命是如何产生的。 The story of dust and water is central
尘埃和水的故事是我们所了解的关键 to our understanding of how life can arise.
尘埃和水这两种成分可以在整个星系中找到。 These two components can be found throughout the galaxy.
但是生命是否会一定随之而来？ But does life inevitably follow?
目前，地球仍然是我们在可能存在的数千个， For now, Earth remains our only data point
甚至数十亿个可居住世界中 among the thousands, even billions of habitable worlds
唯一的据点 that may be out there.
哈勃的时代给我们带来了一种新的认识： The age of Hubble has brought a new appreciation
我们是如何 of how we emerged in a universe
在一个无法想象的巨大宇宙中出现的。 that is immense beyond imagining.
我们才开始认识到自己的局限性。 We have only begun to discern its limits.
新的数据支持了 New data supports theories of how the universe began
宇宙是如何开始剧烈膨胀的理论。 in a furious expansion.
因为科学就是从根本上关注 Because science is fundamentally concerned
自然界中不断重复发生的事件， with events that repeat in nature,
这些膨胀理论把我们的宇宙 some inflationary theories place our universe
置于一个更广阔的宇宙景观中。 in an even broader cosmic landscape.
这个理论认为宇宙就像泡沫一样， The idea is that universes, like frothy bubbles,
不断延伸到无限的空间。 extend out into the voids of infinity.
哈勃的时代给我们对宇宙的理解 The age of Hubble has brought incredible advances
带来了不可思议的进步。 in our understanding of the universe.
这当然只是一个漫长的探索的开始， It is surely only the beginning of a long quest
要知道这一切是如何结合在一起的， to know how it all fits together,
我们从哪里来， where we came from
星星会告诉我们 and what the stars may tell us
我们在时空中所处的位置。 of our place in the spread of time and space.
对于宇航员和其他观星者来说， For astronauts and other stargazers,
当我们把目光锁定在天空， there is both a sense of wonder and connection
寻找藏在夜空里的造物秘密时， as we lock our gaze on the heavens,
既感觉它的神奇， searching for the secrets of creation
又体会与之的联系。 emblazoned on the night sky.