2022-05-15

Look up at the skies and you see stars. But this telescope in the deserts of Chile is able to see the Universe as it really is, filled with a mysterious substance called dark matter. It can't be seen ­– but this instrument can detect dark matter by the way it distorts starlight.

仰望夜空，你会看到繁星点点。但这座位于智利沙漠中的望远镜能够看到宇宙的真实面貌，里面充满了一种神秘的物质，被称作 “暗物质”。虽然暗物质不可见，但这台仪器可以通过暗物质扭曲星光的方式来探测到它。

Professor Ofer Lahav, University College London

This is a map of matter in the Universe.

奥弗·拉哈夫教授      伦敦大学学院

“这是宇宙物质的地图。”

And that's allowed astronomers1 to produce this map of how it's spread across the expanse of space.

这得以让天文学家们绘制出了这张地图，展现了暗物质在无尽的太空中的分布情况。

Professor Ofer Lahav, University College London

It's an element of, you know, unveiling mystery – something you couldn't see before, and suddenly it's there. And you think – wow!

奥弗·拉哈夫教授      伦敦大学学院

“这就好比揭开了一个谜团，你以前看不到的东西突然出现在眼前。你会称奇道绝！”