宇宙（2021）

宇宙的复杂性。
of complexity in the universe.
但创造复杂性是一门微妙的艺术。
But creating complexity is a subtle art.
你需要一个引擎——
You need an engine -
在这种情况下，一个不太狂野和浮华的明星。
in this case, a star that's not too wild and flashy.
足够长时间一致的恒星
A star which is consistent enough for long enough
点燃生命的火花……
to kindle the sparks of life...
..并让这些火花闪烁并蓬勃发展。
..and allow those sparks to flicker and flourish.
明星最重要的属性，
The most important property of a star,
如果是为了培育一个文明，
if it's to nurture a civilisation,
是卓越的可靠性。
is magnificent dependability.
没有人确切知道地球上的生命是如何出现的……
No-one knows exactly how life on Earth emerged...
..但我们所知道的是，在某些时候，
..but what we do know is that at some point,
生活在海洋中的原始细胞开始使用太阳的能量
primitive cells living in the ocean began using the Sun's energy
为赋予生命的化学反应提供动力。
to power life-giving chemical reactions.
这些细胞在地球和太阳之间架起了一座桥梁，
These cells formed a bridge between Earth and Sun,
驾驭我们恒星之火的精密引擎，
delicate engines which harness the fires of our star,
利用阳光将二氧化碳和水转化为食物。
using sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into food.
这个过程称为光合作用，
This process, known as photosynthesis,
释放了太阳的创造力……
unleashed the Sun's creative power...
..并推动了复杂性的演变......
..and drove the evolution of complexity...
..来自原始细菌，
..from primitive bacteria,
对植物和树木...
to plants and trees...
..而且，最终，
..and, ultimately,
给你和我。
to you and me.
光合作用是一个很容易用语言描述的过程。
Photosynthesis is a process that's very easy to describe in words.
植物从太阳中获取能量
The plants take energy from the Sun
然后用它使二氧化碳和水一起反应
then use it to react carbon dioxide and water together
制♥造♥糖和废物，氧气。
to make sugars and a waste product, oxygen.
说起来真的很容易。
Really easy to say.
很难做到。
Very difficult to do.
我的意思是，有一部分光合作用机器，
I mean, there's a part of that photosynthetic machinery,
你在这里看到的一切，
everything you see here,
地球上的每一种植物也都有一个光系统。
every plant on the planet's got a photosystem, too.
它由 46,630 个原子组成，
It's comprised of 46,630 atoms,
所有这些都在一台复杂的机器中协同工作。
all working together in an intricate machine.
非常有效率。 它经历了数十亿年的进化。
Very efficient. It took billions of years of evolution.
然后我们吃植物，或者我们吃被植物吃掉的东西
Then we eat the plants, or we eat something that's eaten the plants
我们做逆反应。
and we do the reverse reaction.
我们摄取这些糖分，然后吸入废物，氧气，
We take those sugars and we breathe in that waste product, oxygen,
它们一起反应，释放一点能量，
react them together, release a bit of energy,
一点储存的阳光，如果你喜欢，
a bit of the stored sunlight, if you like,
我们用这些能量来维持我们的结构，
and we use that energy to maintain our structure,
成长，生活。
to grow, to live.
自宇宙诞生以来，数以万亿计的恒星已经存在……
Trillions of stars have existed since the universe began...
..但我们的培育出了最神奇的东西，
..but ours has nurtured that most miraculous thing,
生活。
life.
这使得太阳成为真正非凡的恒星。
And that makes the Sun a truly remarkable star.
那是我们所知道的唯一一颗星星
That is the only star we know of
任何在它周围轨道上有原子集♥合♥的地方，
anywhere where there are collections of atoms in orbits around it,
你和我，
you and me,
已命名它。
that have named it.
太阳，我们的太阳。
The Sun, our Sun.
从历史的曙光开始，我们就崇拜它，将它神化。
We've worshipped it, deified it since the dawn of history.
事实上，有人认为太阳位于地基
In fact, it's been argued that the Sun lies at the foundation
所有宗教，其中可能有一些道理。
of all religion, and there may be some truth in that.
事实上，我认为其中有很深的道理，
In fact, I think there is a deep truth in that,
因为我们都欠我们的存在，
because we all owe our existence,
我们在宇宙中的这短暂时间，
this brief time we have in the universe,
到那颗星星。
to that star.
其实，在更深的意义上，对所有的明星来说。
In fact, in a deeper sense, to all the stars.
我们不需要发明假想的神来解释宇宙。
We don't need to invent imaginary gods to explain the universe.
我们可以用真实的东西代替它们。
We can replace them with the real thing.
我们爱的每一个人...
Everyone we love...
..我们重视的一切......
..everything we value...
……我们作为文明的最高成就……
..our supreme accomplishments as a civilisation...
..被创造和制♥作♥...
..were created and crafted...
..按星星。
..by stars.
我们的银河系有超过 2000 亿颗恒星......
There are over 200 billion stars in our galaxy...
..在可观测的宇宙中有两万亿个星系。
..and there are two trillion galaxies in the observable universe.
我们生活在星辰时代……
We're living in the Age of Stars...
..宇宙中光与生命的时代。
..an era of light and life in the cosmos.
从我们转瞬即逝的人类角度来看，星星似乎是永恒的......
From our fleeting human perspective, stars seem eternal...
..但即使是神也不是不朽的。
..but even gods are not immortal.
有光的地方，
Where there is light,
有黑暗。
there is darkness.
明星是创造者...
Stars are creators...
..但他们可以成为他们创作的嫉妒守护者。
..but they can be jealous guardians of their creations.
许多较小的恒星不会在壮观的爆♥炸♥中死亡，
Many smaller stars don't die in spectacular explosions,
相反，他们慢慢地。 消失。
instead, they slowly. fade away.
他们坚持自己制♥作♥的珍贵元素，
They hang on to the precious elements they made,
成为化石星...
becoming fossil stars...
..随着越来越多的化石散落在宇宙中，
..and as more fossils litter the universe,
更多赋予生命的元素仍然被锁定，
more life-giving elements remain locked away,
饿死宇宙所需的材料
starving the cosmos of the material needed
造就新一代的明星。
to make new generations of stars.
星辰时代似乎无穷无尽，
The Age of Stars may seem infinite,
但它有一个开始
but it had a beginning
它也将有一个结束。
and it will also have an end.
想象一个宇宙的时间线
Imagine a timeline of the universe
并想象这是宇宙的起源，
and imagine that this is the origin of the universe,
138亿年前的大爆♥炸♥。
the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago.
大约一亿年后，第一批恒星形成。
After 100 million years or so, the first stars formed.
在这个尺度上，一厘米大约是 2000 万年。
On this scale, one centimetre is about 20 million years.
四十亿年后，恒星形成的高峰率出现了。
After four billion years, the peak rate of star formation occurred.
最大数量的新星诞生。
The maximum number of new stars were born.
九十亿年后，
After nine billion years,
我们的太阳诞生了。
our Sun was born.
而今天我们站着，
And today we stand,
138亿年后，
13.8 billion years later,
大约过了我们太阳生命的一半。
about halfway through the lifetime of our Sun.
现在，在大约五十亿年后，
Now, in about five billion years' time,
我们的太阳会死，但新的星星会诞生
our Sun will die, but new stars will be born
以及宇宙中许多最古老的恒星，
and many of the oldest stars in the universe,
最小的星星，也会继续发光。
the smallest stars, will continue to shine.
事实上，我们认为最后一颗星星将不再闪耀，
In fact, we think that the last star will cease to shine,
宇宙会变暗，
the universe will go dark,
在大约十万亿年内。
in around ten trillion years.
在这个尺度上，距离大爆♥炸♥大约 5000 米。
On this scale, that's about 5,000 metres away from the Big Bang.
但这并不是宇宙的尽头。
But that's not the end of the universe.
据我们所知，宇宙将永远继续膨胀。
As far as we know, the universe will continue expanding forever.
所以星光时代是最短暂的时刻
And so the Age of Starlight is the briefest moment of time
在无限的宇宙历史中。
in the infinite history of the universe.
黑暗时代将继续下去。
The Age of Darkness will go on and on and on.
当然，星星不会只是消失。
Stars won't just disappear, of course.
他们会在这里待很久很久。
They'll be here for aeons to come.
但随着时间的推移，宇宙会变得更暗，
But over time, the universe, will grow darker,
更冷更空。
colder and emptier.
今天周围有星星存在
There are stars around today that existed
接近星际时代的开始......
close to the beginning of the Age of Stars...
..他们中的一些人也将见证结局。
..and some of them will also witness the end.
它们是宇宙中寿命最长的恒星，
They're the longest lived stars in the universe,
红矮星。
red dwarfs.
TRAPPIST-1 就是这些古人之一。
TRAPPIST-1 is one of these ancients.
它已经超过七十亿年的历史，
It's already more than seven billion years old,
几乎是我们太阳的两倍...
almost twice as old as our Sun...
..但只有大约十分之一大小......
..but only around a tenth of the size...
..并且亮度不到 1%。
..and less than 1% as bright.
它是一颗很酷的星星，缓慢燃烧......
It's a cool star, slow-burning...
..这就是它长寿的秘诀。
..and that is the secret of its longevity.
因为它们燃烧缓慢，
Because they burn slowly,