They burned brighter than galaxies and were Larger  than any star today or that could ever exist in  

它們比星系還要耀眼，且比現在以及未來存在的恆星更加巨大

the future. But besides their scale, what makes  them special and weird is that deep inside, they  

但除了它們的規模以外，讓它們既特別又奇怪的是在它們深處

were occupied by a cosmic parasite, an endlessly  hungry black hole. How is that even possible?

有個宇宙寄生蟲：無盡貪婪的黑洞。這怎麼可能？

Black hole stars take the weirdness of black  holes and go beyond to break everything we know  

黑洞星除了有黑洞的怪異點，還更進一步的打破了我們對

about how stars form and grow. They were only  possible during a short window of time in the  

恆星誕生與成長的認知。它們只可能在早期宇宙的一小段時間內出現

early Universe, but if they existed, they would  solve one of the largest mysteries of cosmology. 

但如果它們真的存在過，它們將解開宇宙學最大的謎團之一

Black Hole Stars were excessive any way  you look at them. The most massive stars  

黑洞星無論從哪個角度看都無比巨大。如今最大的恆星

today may have about 300 solar masses – a  black hole star had up to 10 million solar  

的質量約為三百太陽質量，而一黑洞星擁有達一千萬太陽

masses of nearly pure hydrogen. Let us take  a moment to look at what this means visually.  

質量的近乎純氫。讓我們花點時間理解這在視覺上是什麼意思

The sun. Wezen. LL Pegasi. The largest star. And  finally the black hole star. Its scale is beyond  

太陽、弧矢一、飛馬座LL、最大恆星以及最後的，黑洞星。它的大小不可言喻

words: over 800,000 times wider than our Sun, 380  times larger than the largest star we know today.

比我們的太陽寬超過八十萬倍，比我們如今所知的最大恆星大三百八十倍

And far below its surface is a black hole,  

其表面底下深處是個黑洞

growing rapidly as it devours billions  upon billions of tons of matter per second.

隨著它每秒吞噬數十億噸的物質迅速地增長

Normally, stars are born from gigantic clouds,  collections of thousands to millions of solar  

一般上，恆星從擁有上千到上百萬太陽質量、多數為氫的巨大雲朵誕生

masses of mostly hydrogen. In these clouds,  matter starts to accumulate around the densest  

在這些雲朵中，物質開始在最密集的點聚集

spots inside. As these spots get denser, their  gravitational pull intensifies and they grow  

隨著這些點變的越來越密集，它們的引力越來越強

faster. Eventually, they generate so much heat and  pressure that they ignite fusion reactions, and a  

生長的越來越快。到最後，它們產生的熱與壓力是如此之大，引發了聚變反應

new star is born. But this puts a limit on their  size: Nuclear fusion releases enough radiation  

一個新星就此誕生了。但這也對它們的大小設了限制：核聚變所釋放出的輻射能

energy that the surrounding gas cloud is blown  away. The new baby star can’t gather more mass.

足夠將周遭的氣體雲吹走，使年幼新星無法得到更多的質量

From now on the star is living  on the edge between two forces:  

從現在起這顆恆星活在兩股力量的角逐之中

Gravity pulling in, trying to squash the  star, and radiation created by fusion,  

一股嘗試壓垮恆星的引力，以及一股由核聚變輻射產生

pushing outwards, trying to blow the star  apart. After millions to billions of years,  

試圖炸開恆星的推力。數百萬甚至數十億年之後

the core runs out of fuel and the  balance breaks, destroying the star.

恆星的核耗盡了燃料，力平衡因此被打破並摧毀恆星

But Black hole stars were very, very different.

但黑洞星非常、非常不同

The Beasts of the Early Universe

早期宇宙的巨獸

A few hundred million years after the Big Bang,  when the universe was much smaller, all the matter  

大爆炸之後數百萬年，當宇宙相對小時，所有存在的物質

in existence was much more concentrated.  The universe was much denser and hotter.  

更加稠密。宇宙在當時更為密集且炙熱

Dark matter was a dominant player, forming  giant structures called dark matter halos. 

暗物質是主要勢力，形成了被稱為暗物質暈的巨大構造

These dark matter halos were so massive that  they pulled in and concentrated unthinkably  

這些暗物質暈是如此龐大，它們聚集了多到難以想像的

gigantic amounts of hydrogen gas, becoming the  birthplaces of the first stars and galaxies. 

氫氣，進而成為最初恆星與星系的出生地

Epic clouds of hydrogen formed, some as massive  as 100 million Suns, more than the mass of small  

碩大的氫雲因此形成，有的擁有一億個太陽的質量

galaxies. In this unique environment, that will  never exist again, the enormous gravitational  

比小星系的質量還多。在這不可能再出現的獨特環境中

pull of the dark matter halos drew gas into  its center and created extremely massive stars.

暗物質暈的強悍引力把氣體吸進其中心，並生成了極度龐大的恆星

As we said before, when a star is born it blows  away the gas cloud that created it – but these  

如我們之前所說的，恆星誕生時會將創造出它的氣體雲吹走

titanic gas clouds in the early universe were so  large and massive that even after their birth,  

但這些在早期宇宙的氣體雲是如此之巨大且高質量

more and more gas piled on the newborn star,  making it grow to unbelievable proportions.

即使恆星誕生後仍有大量的氣體堆積在新星上，使它增長至難以置信的比例

The young star is forced to grow and grow and  grow, getting more and more massive, until in  

這顆年輕恆星被迫不斷成長，累積的質量越來越多

some cases, it reaches up to ten million times the  mass of our sun. Crushed by gravity, its core gets  

直到在某些情況下達太陽一千萬倍的質量。被引力壓垮，恆星的核心

hotter and hotter, desperately pushing outward,  trying to blow itself apart – but to no avail.  

變的越來越熱，絕望的向外推擠試圖將自身炸開，但無能為力

There is too much mass and too much pressure.  The balance is impossible to uphold.

有太多的質量和壓力了，這個平衡不可能維持

Like a supernova on fast forward, the  core gets crushed into a black hole.  

就像快進的超新星一般，核心塌縮成了黑洞

Normally that would be the end  – today’s stars go supernova,  

一般上這也代表結束了。如今的恆星引發超新星

a black hole forms and things calm down. But  in this case, the star survives its own death.

形成黑洞後，事態就此平靜下來。但在這情況，恆星在自己的死亡中倖存

A tremendous explosion rocks  the star from the inside,  

一場轟轟烈烈的爆炸在恆星內部發生

but it is not enough – the star  is so large and massive that not  

但那並不足夠。這個恆星太大、太多質量了

even a supernova can destroy it – but  now it has a black hole for a heart.  

連超新星爆炸都無法摧毀它。但現在其內部有個黑洞作為核心

It is tiny, a few tens of kilometers, in the  center of a thing the size of the solar system.

這個只有數十公里寬的小黑洞位於一太陽系般大的物體的中心點

The Monster Grows

怪獸成長中

Stars are born from ever faster spinning and  collapsing gas, and so they also spin. When  

恆星是從越來越快旋轉與坍縮的氣體中誕生的，因此形成後它們也自轉

a black hole is born from the core of a star, it  keeps its angular momentum. This means that matter  

當黑洞從恆星核心中誕生時，它維持著角動量

that gets drawn in doesn’t just fall in a straight  line, but instead begins orbiting the black hole,  

這表示被黑洞吸引的物質並不會直直的掉入黑洞，而是開始繞環著它

in smaller and smaller circles going faster  and faster. The result is an accretion disk  

離黑洞越近的環繞速度越快，其結果是個氣體以近光速環繞的吸積盤

where gas orbits at nearly the speed of light.  Only a small amount of gas actually falls in at  

在任何時候只有小量的氣體掉入黑洞

any given moment. Basically, black holes put a  lot of food on the table and only nibble at it.

基本上這個黑洞把許多食物放在桌子上但一次只吃一點

But the matter trapped in the accretion  disk doesn’t have a good time: Friction  

但那些被困在吸積盤的物質就不好過了

and collisions between particles heat it  up to temperatures of millions of degrees.  

粒子間的摩擦和撞擊使溫度上升到好幾百萬度

Actively feeding black holes have accretion  disks that are incredibly hot and powerful.  

進食中的黑洞的吸積盤是無法置信的熱且強力

This heat from the disk further restricts how  much a black hole can devour, just like the core  

這些在盤上的熱進一步限制了黑洞的吞噬量。就如恆星的核一樣

of stars, the superhot material creates radiation  that blows away most of the food within its reach.  

這些超熱物質產生的輻射將黑洞碰得到的大部分食物吹走

So even if a black hole had access to as much  food as it desired, it can only grow slowly.

因此即使黑洞可以隨心所欲地獲取食物，它也只能緩慢生長

A black hole embedded inside a black hole star is  different. The enormous pressure surrounding it  

但一個在黑洞星內的黑洞就不一樣了

pushes down matter directly into the black hole,  overcoming all restrictions on how fast it can  

它周圍的巨碩壓力將物質直接推入黑洞裡，排除了所有的消耗限制

consume. This process is so violent and releases  so much energy that the accretion disk becomes  

這個過程發生的如此之劇烈，釋放出的能量如此之多

hotter and releases more radiation pressure  than any star core ever could – enough to  

使吸積盤變得更熱，並施加比任何恆星核要大的輻射壓

push back against the weight of 10 million Suns.  An impossibly dangerous balance has been created  

足以推動一千萬個太陽。一不可能的危險平衡建立了

– millions of solar masses pushing in, the angry  radiation of a force fed black hole pushing out.

上百萬的太陽質量推入，而被強迫進食的黑洞所釋放的憤怒輻射壓推出

For the next few million years, the black hole  star is consumed from within. The black hole  

接下來幾百萬年，黑洞星將從內部被吞噬

grows to thousands of solar masses and the bigger  it gets, the faster it eats, which heats up the  

裡頭的黑洞增長到數千個太陽質量。它長得越大，進食的速度越快

star even more and causes it to expand. In its  final phase, the black hole star has become over  

並使恆星變的越熱，進而導致恆星膨脹。在它的最後階段

30 times wider than our solar system – truly,  the largest star to ever exist in the universe.  

黑洞星已變得比我們的太陽系三十倍寬廣。真的是宇宙中有史以來最大的恆星

The intense magnetic fields at its core spew  out jets of plasma from the black hole’s poles,  

劇烈的核心磁場把電漿從黑洞的兩極噴出

which pierce through the star and shoot out  into space, turning it into a cosmic beacon.  

並刺穿了恆星發射到太空去，使它成為一個宇宙信標

It must have been one of the most awe  inducing sights to ever exist in the universe.

這肯定是宇宙中有史以來最令人敬畏的景象之一

But this also marks the end. It becomes too  stretched and the accretion disk within too  

但這也表示著終結。黑洞星變得過度伸張且裡頭的吸積盤變得太過強烈了

powerful: the parasite destroys its host, blowing  it apart. A black hole with the mass of 100,000  

寄生蟲把宿主炸開摧毀。一個有著十萬太陽質量的黑洞

Suns rips its way out to hunt for new prey,  while leaving behind nothing but a star carcass.

撕裂而出以尋找新的獵物，除了恆星的屍體什麼也沒留下

The Supermassive Question

超大質量疑問

If Black Hole Stars existed, they could explain  one of the greatest mysteries of the Universe.

如果黑洞星真的存在過，它們將能解釋宇宙中最大的謎團之一

The supermassive black holes we  see at the center of galaxies  

我們如今在星系中心觀測到的超大質量黑洞

are just … too big! They should not be possible.

實在是太大了！照理是不可能存在的

Black holes born from regular supernovas  can be a few tens of solar masses at most.  

從一般超新星爆炸而出現的黑洞在誕生時最多只有數十個太陽質量

And because of the process we explained before,  they grow slowly after that. If black holes  

並且它們因為我們稍早解釋過的原理的關係只能緩慢成長

merge together, they can form slightly larger  black holes of over a hundred solar masses.  

如果黑洞與另一黑洞融合

It should take billions and billions of  years to make black holes with hundreds  

它們會形成一過百太陽質量的稍大黑洞

of thousands or even millions of solar masses.

要產生出數十萬甚至數百萬太陽質量的黑洞應該需要花數十億年的時間

And yet, we know that some super  massive black holes already had  

然而我們所知道的超大質量黑洞有的在

800 million solar masses only 690  million years after the Big Bang.

大爆炸後僅僅六億九千萬年就有八億的太陽質量

Black Hole Stars are a sort of black hole cheat  code. If they formed very early in our Universe  

黑洞星像是黑洞的作弊碼一樣，如果它們在宇宙很早期時形成

and the black holes that emerged from them were  thousands of solar masses, then they could be the  

且從中誕生的黑洞有數千太陽質量的話，那它們就有可能是

seeds for supermassive black holes. These seeds  could take root in the center of the earliest  

超大質量黑洞的種子。這些種子有可能在最早期的星系中紮根

galaxies, merging with others and drawing in  enough matter to grow quickly and reliably.

並與其它黑洞融合，吸引足夠多的物質讓它快速且有效的成長

Very soon, we may be able to verify their past  existence. The James Webb Space Telescope is  

很快的，我們可能有機會證實它們過往的存在。詹姆斯·韋伯太空望遠鏡

turning its sensors to explore the farthest  reaches of the Universe, looking back in time,  

正調整著它的傳感器以探索宇宙中最遠的地方

back to the early universe that we could not see  before. So, with luck, we might be able to witness  

回顧我們之前無法觀測到的早期宇宙。所以如果運氣好的話，我們可能有辦法

glimpses of these tragic titans in the brief  moment between their formation and destruction.  

瞥見這些悲慘巨人在形成和毀滅之間的短暫時刻

Until then, let us do the visual  journey again, just for fun.  

直到那時前，讓我們為了好玩再次踏上這視覺之旅

Stars are big – Black hole stars bigger.

恆星很大，但黑洞星更大

Planning a long-term  

計劃像詹姆斯·韋伯太空望遠鏡這類

project like the James Webb Space  Telescope requires some serious  

長遠的項目需要嚴謹的財政預算

budgeting. But even personal finances  are a nightmare to manage on your own.

但即使是個人財務，要獨自管理也可能是場噩夢

That’s why we want to introduce you to Rocket  Money, the sponsor of today’s video. Just as space  

這也是為什麼我們想介紹本視頻的贊助商Rocket Money給你

exploration projects are planned by professionals,  your finances deserve professional attention, too.

就像宇宙探索項目由專家策劃一樣，你的財務也值得專家注意

Rocket Money is an all-in-one finance platform  

Rocket Money是個一站式金融平台

that helps with managing  expenses and saving money.

協助你管理開銷並節省金錢

You can use it to cancel unwanted  subscriptions, lower your bills,  

你可以用它來取消不需要的訂閱、降低你的賬單

create budgets, monitor your credit  score and create smart savings accounts.

創建預算、監控信用評分並建立智能儲蓄賬戶

The feature we like best is canceling  subscriptions. The platform identifies recurring  

我們最喜歡它的訂閱取消功能。該平台會識別經常性費用

charges and helps you cancel the ones you no  longer want. No need to go through long hold times  

並幫助你取消不再需要的費用。 無需花長時間等待客服

with customer service, you just click “cancel”  within the app. You can also upload screenshots  

處理你的需求，只要在應用裡點擊「取消」即可。你也可以上傳你希望

of bills that you want to lower and Rocket Money  will get to work negotiating your bill for you.

降低的賬單截圖，Rocket Money將為你協商處理

Join the 3.4 million members using Rocket  Money to optimize their finances and  

今天就加入使用Rocket Money優化財務的三百四十萬會員

download the app today. You can get  access to features like budgeting,  

並下載應用。你將能夠免費使用如創建

for free, and unlock all features  with a premium subscription.

預算的功能，並透過高級訂閱解鎖全部功能

Rocket Money makes it easier than ever  to spend less and save more – basically,  

Rocket Money讓你比以往都要容易的少花錢多省錢

managing your money doesn’t  have to be rocket science.

管理錢財不需要像火箭科學一樣複雜

We know you’ve been waiting for a  long time. Let’s reveal the next  

我們知道你們等待已久，讓我們揭露下一個

Limited Edition Pin. It’s our Universe –  To Scale. About 10^-35 seconds after the  

限定版別針：這是我們一比一比例的宇宙。大爆炸約10^-35秒後

Big Bang the observable Universe was only  the size of a Marble before it expanded. 

我們的可觀測宇宙在膨脹前只有一顆彈珠這麼大

Pre-order is available for only 72h, so  you can order it now and then never again. 

預購只限七十二小時，所以趁還有機會時趕緊訂購

Add it to your pin collection or start a  new one. Pin number 3 will be revealed soon.

把它加到你的別針收藏中，或用它開始新的收藏。第三號別針即將揭曉

And as the year 12,022 is slowly  coming to an end (just kidding,  

隨著12022年慢慢的步向尾聲（開什麼玩笑

time flies by way too fast) we will  take a short break to recharge our  

時間根本過超快），我們會短暫的休息一下

batteries. Thanks to all of you out  there. For all the love and support!  

充個電。感謝你們所有人的愛與支持！

We wish you a peaceful and cozy turn of the  year. See you back at full throttle in january!

我們希望你度過一個和平又舒適的一年。一月份全速前進與你再見！