宇宙的奇迹（2011）

with the rock rising and falling by seven metres.
七米高的石浪升起又落下
This massive wave acted like a brake,
这声势浩大的潮汐就像制动装置
and gradually slowed the moon down.
逐步减慢月球的自转速度
Eventually, the tidal bulge became aligned with the Earth,
最后 潮汐的步调终于与地球达到了一致
locking the speed of the moon's rotation.
锁定了月球旋转的速度
So the time it takes the moon to spin once
所以月球旋转一周所需的时间
is almost the same as the time it takes to orbit the Earth.
几乎跟它绕地球一周的时间一样
So there is no dark side of the moon,
所以月球没有暗面
just a side that gravity hides from our view.
只是引力将月亮的那面藏了起来
The bond that gravity creates between the Earth and the moon
地球和月球之间由引力而产生的联♥系♥
is repeated across the cosmos.
也在整个宇宙中反复出现
It's the glue that holds the planets in orbit around the sun.
它是将行星固定于环恒星轨道上的粘合剂
And it binds our solar system
它将我们的太阳系
and countless other solar systems together,
和无数其它太阳系联♥系♥到一起
to form galaxies like our own Milky Way.
形成了如同我们银河系一般的星系
But gravity's influence can be felt even further
但引力的影响远不止这些
because it controls the fate of galaxies.
因为它掌控着星系的命运
When you look up into the night sky
当你仰望夜空
and you see the universe as it looks in visible light,
映入眼帘的是人们肉眼所见的那个宇宙
with the glowing of the stars and the galaxies,
发光的恒星和星系
but that's only part of the story,
但那只是故事的一部分
because the universe is full of dust and gas
因为宇宙充满了尘埃和气体
which you can't see with a conventional telescope,
这些都是你无法用普通望远镜看到的
but you can see with a telescope like this.
但你可以用这种望远镜看到
Radio telescopes, like the very large array in New Mexico,
射电望远镜 比如新墨西哥州的甚大阵
are able to peer deep into space
可以探索深度空间
and reveal the incredible attractive power of gravity.
揭示引力那无与伦比的吸引力
This is Andromeda,
这是仙女星系
a spiral galaxy roughly the same size and mass as the Milky Way.
一团跟银河系质量大小都差不多的螺旋星云
This island of over a trillion stars
这个由超过一万亿恒星组成的星际孤岛
sits over 2.5 million light years away,
距离地球逾二百五十万光年
but every hour that gap shrinks by half a million kilometres.
但这段距离正以每小时五十万公里的速度在缩短
Whilst most galaxies have been rushing away from each other
虽然绝大部分星系自从大爆♥炸♥之后
ever since they formed just after the Big Bang,
就开始渐行渐远
some galaxies formed so close together that
但有一些星系成型时靠得太近
they are locked in a gravitational embrace.
于是就被引力锁到了一起
And the Milky Way and Andromeda are two such galaxies.
银河系和仙女星系就是这种情况
And computer simulations suggest that they will collide together
计算机模拟结果表明
in around three billion years' time.
它们将在三十亿年左右融为一体
Look at that. That's a simulation of the Milky Way galaxy
看 那就是模拟银河系
and the Andromeda Galaxy colliding together,
与仙女星系融为一体的画面
and all these wisps of smoke getting thrown out are stars.
所有甩出来的这些缕缕烟尘都是恒星
These are star systems getting ripped out of the galaxy
这些是从银河系甩出来的恒星系
and thrown off into interstellar space.
被扔进了星际空间
These two islands of hundreds of billions of suns
这两个由数千亿恒星组成的宇宙岛
have flown through each other,
互相穿过
and gravity has exerted its grasp
此时引力又略施手段
and dragged them back again.
将它们拉回原位
And just remember that we are one of those dots.
记住 这些点中的某一个就是我们
You know, our sun and the Earth and the solar system
我们的太阳 地球和太阳系
are either going to be flung out into interstellar space,
不是将被扔进星际空间
or they're going to be in here,
就是会停留其中
in this maelstrom of hundreds of billions of suns
停留在这个无数星球彼此环绕
swirling around each other
共同孕育新星系核心的
and forming the core of a new galaxy.
大漩涡之中
Just imagine what it would be like
试想这样一番景象
to gaze up at the sky as Andromeda approached.
当仙女星系进入我们的视野
The sky would be ablaze with the light of hundreds of billions of suns
天空中闪耀着数以万亿计恒星的光芒
and the imminent collision would provide the energy
随之而来的剧烈碰撞所产生的能量
to generate the births of hundreds of millions more.
还会生成数以亿计的新星球
What a magnificent sight it would be.
那将是何等壮观的景象
But far more magnificent
然而更为气势磅礴的
is the immense scale of gravity's embrace.
便是引力包罗万象的胸怀
It holds galaxies together
它跨越千亿公里的天堑
across hundreds of billions of kilometres
将众多星系汇聚在一起
and, in doing so, it creates the most magnificent structures.
形成了宇宙中最宏伟的巨制
Our own Milky Way is part of one of these,
作为室女座星系团一部分的银河系
the Virgo cluster.
便是这巨制中的一页
Every point of light in this image is not a star,
画面中的每个小点都是一个星系
but a galaxy.
而非星球
There are 2,000 galaxies in this cluster,
这个星系团包含两千个星系
and they're all bound together by gravity,
它们之间靠引力紧密相连
making it the largest structure
成为我们邻近的星际空间中
in our intergalactic neighbourhood.
最庞大的结构
There seems to be no limit to the reach or power of gravity.
引力的作用似乎无边无♥界♥
Its influence can be felt
它深深的影响力
across the vast expanses of space and time.
超越了无垠时空的界限
But there's something very interesting about gravity,
但对于引力来说 有一点十分有趣
because it is by far the weakest force of nature. I mean, look.
因为它是世上最微弱的自然力 你看
I can...pick this rock up off the ground even though
即使有一整个地球在吸引它
there's an entire planet, planet Earth, trying to pull it down
我仍旧可以将这块石头轻而易举地举起
So if gravity is so weak,
假若引力如此微弱
how come it's so influential?
又是怎样产生石破天惊的影响呢
Gravity may be weak here on Earth,
也许在地球上引力不甚明显
but it's not so weak across the cosmos.
但在宇宙中却强大无比
This invisible force
这股无形的力量
varies on all the planets in the solar system
在太阳系中的任何行星上
and on the exo-planets
以及在我们已发现的那些
we've discovered orbiting other suns.
围绕各自恒星运行的系外行星上都各不相同
To experience what gravity feels like on these worlds,
想要真实体验外星世界的重力感
I need to go for a spin.
我必须来转几圈
This is a centrifuge.
这是一台离心机
It was built in the 1950s to test whether fighter pilots
它建于二十世纪五十年代
had the right stuff, but it's going to allow me to
用以甄选战斗机飞行员
feel what it'd be like to
它能让我亲身体会到
stand on the surface of any of the planets
伫立在太阳系中那些质量
in the solar system that are more massive than the Earth,
远大于地球的星球上是何种感觉
and, in fact, also what it
实际上它也能模拟
would be like to stand on some of the planets
目前我们已发现的围绕遥远恒星运转的
that we've found around distant stars.
那些行星的重力环境
Right, I'll have to strap you in, first of all.
首先我要给你系上安全带
This is an emergency switch in case something happens.
这是防止突发事件的紧急开关
When you release it, the centrifuge will stop.
你一松开它 离心机就会立刻停止
I was just told by the F-16 fighter pilot,
指点我的这位是F-16战斗机的飞行员
who's just been in here,
他也曾经历这番考验
that it's a hundred times more uncomfortable
他说坐这里比开喷气式飞机
than being in a jet fighter.
要难受一百倍
I was kind of confident
其实我有点小自信
because I've been in jet fighters
因为我坐过喷气式飞机
and didn't find it too uncomfortable, but apparently,
并没有感觉多么难受
this is a hundred times worse!
但这回是它的一百倍
Doors closed again. Profile is there. Doctor is ready.
舱门关闭 数据已连接 博士准备完毕
We'll start up the centrifuge,
布莱恩 我们马上启动机器
Brian, and bring you in orbit,
倒数三秒钟后
and it happens in three...two...one second from now.
你将进入离心旋转轨道
The first planet I'm travelling to is Neptune.
我的第一站是海王星
Its gravity is just fractionally stronger than here on Earth.
它的引力只比地球略大
So this is the gravitational field
这就是海王星的重力环境
on Neptune and you feel, you know what?
你知道吗 我觉得
I could probably get used to this.
我应该能适应
I could probably live on the surface of Neptune.
我可以在海王星表面生存下去
Can you lift your hands a little?
你能抬起你的手吗
There we go. Yeah, and down.
好的 然后放下
And it is actually quite an effort. It is noticeably heavier.
事实上 手明显变重了 费力多了
It's like having a reasonably heavy weight in your hand.
像是提着一个重物
Are you ready to go to 2.5G?
准备好体验2.5倍的重力了吗
Yes, so now we'll move, move from Neptune to Jupiter.
是的 我们将要启程前往木星
Let's go there.
出发吧
Jupiter is over 1300 times more massive than the Earth,
木星的体积是地球的一千三百多倍
but because it's mostly gas, it's not very dense, so its gravity
但因为它的成分大多为气体 密度较小