Einstein is always right.

愛因斯坦的理論總是經得起考驗。

Hi there cosmic entities!

Hi 各位「宇宙實體們」好！

Ian here for DNews…. and prepare to have your mind BLOWN.

我是 DNews 的 Ian...準備好大開眼界。

Researchers have created an incredible 3-dimensional map of a region of the universe.

研究人員創造了不可思議的宇宙 3D 地圖。

As part of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, or BOSS,

身為 Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, 簡稱 BOSS 計畫的一部分。

they pinpointed a whopping 1.2 million galaxies covering a quarter of

他們定位出覆蓋我們可見天空四分之一面積中。

the visible sky!

高達一百二十萬個銀河系！

It's a volume that is about 650 cubic billion light years big.

相當於六千五百億立方光年這麼大的體積。

Within that huge expanse, astronomers start to see the large-scale structure of the cosmos

在這浩瀚的空間裡，天文學家們開始著眼於宇宙中二十到七十億光年距離遠的

between two to seven billion light-years away.

大型結構。

In other words, they're spying on the universe as it was two to seven billion years AGO.

換句話說，他們正在窺視宇宙二十至七十億年前之久的樣貌。

And it just so happens that this is an important era to study if we are to understand the strange

而這會是一件對我們時代有重大意義的研究，讓我們得以了解

effects of dark energy.

暗能量的奇特效應。

Now, dark energy makes up for 70% of ALL the energy in the universe and has a bizarre anti-gravity

現在，暗能量組成宇宙中百分之七十的能量，並對時空有奇特、反重力

effect on space-time, causing it to expand.

的效應，致使時空膨脹。

And the expansion is accelerating.

並且我們發現這個膨脹的正在加速發生。

So cosmologists REALLY want to know what dark energy IS and how it's going to shape the

所以宇宙學者真的想要知道暗能量到底是什麼，而暗能量又如何

evolution of the universe.

推動我們的宇宙進行演化。

In an effort to get to grips with this mysterious energy, astronomers need to think really big,

努力地去了解這個謎樣的能量，天文學家們需要有很大、很廣的思考視野

capturing the motion of a HUGE number of galaxies.

才能捕捉到如此巨大數量的銀河系運動。

This is where BOSS comes in.

這就是 BOSS 計劃的目的所在。

Now...things get a little more complicated.

現在，事情發展到更複雜了一些。

So bear with me.

所以請耐心聽一下。

At the moment of the Big Bang, 13.82 billion years ago, there was just energy.

當大霹靂發生時，也就是一百三十八點二億年前，除了能量存在以外，什麼都沒有

As time went on, the universe expanded and cooled and matter started to condense to form

隨著時間推移，宇宙膨脹且冷卻下來，物質也開始凝聚形成

the quarks, atoms, electrons and all that other good stuff our universe contains.

垮克、原子、電子和全部其他宇宙中有的好物質。

During this early time, baryon acoustic oscillations, or BAOs, rippled through the early universe.

在這個初始的時刻，Baryon Acoustic Oscillations，簡稱 BAOs，在宇宙初期漣漪著。

You can imagine these BAOs as a bit like sound waves traveling through a gas.

你能夠想像這些 BAOs 有點像是聲波一般在氣體中旅行。

They created regions of dense matter and regions empty of matter.

他們創造出高密度物質區以及無物質區域。

The BAOs started out small, but as the universe expanded, they expanded with it and became

BAOs 從起初很小的範圍，但隨著宇宙膨脹，BAOs 也隨之膨脹，且更有甚之

larger, leaving their fingerprint in the structure of the universe.

留下了宇宙結構發展的指紋。

As this happened, clusters of galaxies formed inside the high density regions caused by

由於這個過程發生，BAOs 導致了一大群的銀河系

the BAOs.

在高密度物質區域內成形。

The most incredible thing is that BOSS can SEE the BAOs in the galaxies recorded in this

最不可思議的事情是 BOSS 能夠透過這些被這個巨大 3D 地圖觀察到被記錄下來的

massive 3D map.

BAOs。

But what does this mean?

但這代表什麼意義？

Well, in this new research published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical

這個嘛，在這篇發表在皇家天文學會的月報中的新研究

Society, astronomers have specifically looked back into the time when it is theorized that

天文學家們檢視時空內過去的特定的位置，來尋找理論上

dark energy really took hold of universal expansion, causing vast galactic clusters

暗能量導致宇宙實際膨脹的蹤跡，導致大群銀河星群

to fly away from one another.

彼此飛離的事實。

By studying those 1.2 million galaxies that existed between 2 to 7 billion years ago,

就著研究二十億到七十億年前存在的那一百二十萬個銀河系，

and recording the distance between the dense clusters, we can see how fast the universe

並且記錄高密度群系之間的距離，我們可以了解宇宙

expanded under the force of dark energy.

在暗能量驅使下以多快的速度膨脹。

And it appears the universe is expanding in PRECISELY the way we THEORIZED, with dark

而研究顯示宇宙正以我們理論上推測ㄧ模一樣的速度膨脹中，隨著暗能量

energy continually stretching spacetime while the gravity of dark matter is trying to pull

持續不斷地延伸時空，與此同時暗物質卻又試著把宇宙

it all back in again.

向內拉回來。

This gives us further evidence for the existence of dark matter AND dark energy.

這進一步給了我們暗物質和暗能量存在的證據。

But do you want to know the best thing?

但你想知道最好的部分嗎？

By studying the motions of so many galaxies over such a huge volume, this research has

藉由研究如此龐大數量的銀河系移動過程，這個研究

shown that general relativity holds true over cosmological scales.

顯示出廣義相對論在宇宙尺度上也同樣適用。

Yes, Einstein's theory has been proven correct again.

是的，愛因斯坦的理論又再次被驗證為正確。

Shocker.

驚訝吧。

Want to know more about some of BOSS's awesome finds?

想知道更多關於 BOSS 精彩的發現嗎？

Watch my recent DNews video to find out more about how its discoveries are challenging

去看我最近的 DNews 影片就可以知道更多 BOSS 的發現正在改變

our views of the cosmos

我們對於宇宙的觀點。

Does dark energy freak you out, just a little?

暗能量有嚇到你？只有一點點？

Let us know in the comments down below and don't forget to subscribe to DNews!

在下方留言讓我們知道你的想法，並且別忘了訂閱 DNews！