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So now is a good time to be alive, I think.
我認為，現在是個適合生存的好階段
We may only be an advanced breed of monkey
我們或許不過是這顆小小行星上
living on a small planet,
較為高等的猿類
but we are able to contemplate the universe as a whole
但能夠對宇宙整體的思索
which makes us very special.
讓我們變得與眾不同
My goal has always been simple.
我的目標總是很簡單
To work out how the universe works and how it exists at all.
探索宇宙如何運行，以及它究竟是如何產生的
Luckily there are clues everywhere
幸運的是，指向答案的線索眾多
and the most important one is right above our heads.
其中最重要的一個線索就我們的頭頂上方
Examine any patch of the night sky.
仔細觀察每一片夜空
Even one as small as the head of a pin and this is what you will find.
即便是看似針尖大小，你也會有所收獲
A tiny part of the vast web of galaxies.
這只是星系巨網中的一小部分
It's less than a millionth of what we can see of the cosmos from our little planet.
還不到能從地球上看到的宇宙的百萬分之一
But even this tiny sample is enough to find a clue,
即便如此微小的樣本也足以找出一條線索
the key to the past, the present, and perhaps the future too.
一個了解過去，現在，甚至是未來的關鍵
The clue is that seen from earth,
即從地球望向太空
all these distant galaxies are slightly red in color.
所有遙遠的星系都微泛紅光
They appear almost as if
它們的樣子與我們透過玫瑰色鏡片
we were looking through rose-tinted glasses.
看物體時非常相似
It's this very redness that reveals
就是這樣的紅色向我們揭示了
how the universe was born.
宇宙是如何誕生的
And to show you why,
為究其原理
I need a straight road and a noisy car.
我需要筆直的公路和噪音很大的汽車
Listen to the sound as it passes by.
請聽汽車經過時的聲音
As the car approaches, the pitch of its engine rises.
隨著汽車的接近，引擎音調升高
As it goes away, the pitch of its engine falls.
隨著汽車的離開，引擎音調則降低
This phenomenon is called a Doppler Shift.
這種現象叫做多普勒頻移
And the exact same thing happens with light.
這也同樣適用于光
If our eyes were most sensitive to color
如果肉眼對顏色非常敏感
we could see that the car
人們便可以看到
is actually very slightly blue as it approaches,
汽車接近時，實際呈微藍色
and very slightly red as it goes away.
而離開時，則呈微紅色
The same rules apply in space.
太空中的一切也同樣遵循此規則
All distant galaxies are slightly red in color
所有遙遠的星系，看上去都是紅色的
So by the exact same piece of basic physics
根據這一基本物理規則
they must all be moving away too.
它們肯定也都在漸行漸遠
In fact, the whole universe is expanding
事實上，整個宇宙都在膨脹
in all directions, getting bigger and bigger
向著四面八方，越來越大
like a balloon inflating.
就像一個充氣氣球
