Narrator: THE UNIVERSE --
2 TRILLION GALAXIES,
EACH CONTAINING
100 BILLION STARS.
BUT HOW DID IT BEGIN?
OF ALL THE QUESTIONS
WE'RE CONFRONTED WITH TODAY,
THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE
HAS TO BE THE BIGGEST ONE.
Narrator: NOW A NEW GENERATION
OF TELESCOPES
IS SEEING FURTHER BACK IN TIME
THAN EVER BEFORE,
IN SEARCH OF THE BIG BANG.
Geithner: THE JAMES WEBB
SPACE TELESCOPE WILL BE BY FAR
THE LARGEST TELESCOPE
EVER PUT INTO SPACE.
Narrator: IT'S A RACE
TO UNLOCK OUR FIRST MOMENTS
AND EXPLAIN
HOW EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS
CAME FROM SEEMINGLY NOTHING.
IT'S SPACE AND TIME THEMSELVES
THAT ARE EXPANDING OUT
FROM THIS GLOWING SPECK.
INSIDE THERE,
WE CAN RE-CREATE THE CONDITIONS
THAT EXISTED AT ONE MICROSECOND
AFTER THE BIG BANG.
Narrator: TO DISCOVER
WHERE THE UNIVERSE CAME FROM,
WE WILL EXPLORE ITS VERY FABRIC,
UNRAVELING THE SECRETS HIDDEN
JUST BEYOND THE COSMIC HORIZON.
-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
**
THERE IS A RACE TO SOLVE THE
BIGGEST MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSE.
**
TODAY,
THIS TEAM OF NASA SCIENTISTS
IS LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER.
**
THEY'RE GETTING READY TO LAUNCH
AN AIRBORNE TELESCOPE
TO LOOK AT THE VERY FIRST MOMENT
OF OUR UNIVERSE.
IT'S A TRILLIONTH
OF A TRILLIONTH OF A TRILLIONTH
OF A SECOND AFTER THE BIG BANG
THAT WE'RE LOOKING,
SO IT'S AS CLOSE
TO THE START OF SPACE AND TIME
AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
Narrator:
THIS ULTRA-SENSITIVE INSTRUMENT
IS DESIGNED TO SPOT
THE INCREDIBLY FAINT AFTERGLOW
FROM THE BIG BANG.
**
IT WILL RIDE ON A BALLOON
CLOSE TO THE EDGE
OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE...
WHERE IT WILL HOPEFULLY UNCOVER
HOW OUR ENTIRE COSMOS
BURST INTO EXISTENCE.
IT'S ONE OF A SERIES
OF REVOLUTIONARY NEW TELESCOPES
AND SUPERCOMPUTERS
DESIGNED TO RETRACE OUR UNIVERSE
BACK TO ITS STARTING POINT.
THE IDEA OF THE BIG BANG
OF OUR UNIVERSE,
THAT THERE WAS A TIME
WHEN THE UNIVERSE DIDN'T EXIST,
AND NOW IT DOES.
WHERE DOES MATTER COME FROM?
WHERE DOES ENERGY COME FROM?
WHERE DOES SPACE AND TIME
AND MOTION --
YOU KNOW,
WHERE DO THESE THINGS COME FROM?
**
Narrator:
THIS NEW BREED OF TELESCOPES
IS HELPING SCIENTISTS
LAUNCH AN EXTRAORDINARY
DETECTIVE MISSION.
**
THEY ARE UNEARTHING
THE CRITICAL MILESTONES
THAT MADE THE UNIVERSE
FROM THE PRESENT DAY
BACK TO ITS FIRST MOMENT,
EDGING CLOSER THAN EVER BEFORE
TO WITNESSING THE BIG BANG
13.8 BILLION YEARS IN THE PAST.
**
WITH TELESCOPES,
WE CAN LOOK BACK IN TIME.
TELESCOPES ARE SORT OF LIKE
TIME MACHINES.
Thaller:
WE HAVE AN AMAZING LIMITATION,
BUT IT'S ALSO A TREMENDOUS GIFT,
AND THAT IS THAT THE SPEED
OF LIGHT IS NOT INFINITE.
IT TAKES TIME
FOR LIGHT TO TRAVEL.
Narrator: IT TAKES EIGHT MINUTES
FOR SUNLIGHT TO REACH THE EARTH.
SO WHEN TELESCOPES
LOOK AT OUR STAR,
THEY SEE IT
AS IT WAS EIGHT MINUTES AGO.
LOOKING AT OUR NEAREST
MAJOR GALAXY, ANDROMEDA,
REVEALS HOW IT LOOKED
2.5 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST.
THE MOST DISTANT GALAXIES
TODAY'S TELESCOPES CAN SEE
CATCHES THEM AS THEY WERE
MORE THAN 13 BILLION YEARS AGO.
THE NEW GENERATION OF TELESCOPES
AIMS TO SEE FURTHER BACK,
TO THE HOT, DENSE,
EARLY UNIVERSE
JUST AFTER THE BIG BANG.
**
THE FIRST STEP IN RETRACING
THE UNIVERSE BACK TO ITS ORIGINS
IS TO SEE THE VERY FIRST
GALAXIES FORMING.
**
CENTER, NEAR WASHINGTON,
PAUL GEITHNER IS HELPING
CONSTRUCT A TELESCOPE
TO SPOT THE FIRST GALAXIES.
**
WE'RE BUILDING
THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE,
BY FAR THE LARGEST TELESCOPE
EVER TO BE PUT IN SPACE.
WE'RE BUILDING IT TO SEE SOME OF
THE VERY FIRST LUMINOUS OBJECTS
IN THE UNIVERSE.
Narrator: IN THE WORLD'S LARGEST
CLEAN ROOM,
ENGINEERS ARE ASSEMBLING
THE JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE'S
SUPER SENSITIVE MIRRORS
AND CAMERAS.
**
ITS AIM IS TO SEE FURTHER
THAN THE CURRENT FARTHEST VIEW
OF OUR UNIVERSE...
A SNAPSHOT OF AN EXTREMELY
DISTANT PART OF THE COSMOS
WHEN IT WAS LESS THAN
500 MILLION YEARS OLD.
BUT THE FAINT DOTS AREN'T STARS.
THEY'RE ENTIRE GALAXIES...
**
...TOO FAR AWAY
FOR TODAY'S TELESCOPES TO REVEAL
THEIR TRUE SIZE OR SHAPE.
JAMES WEBB WILL SEE GALAXIES
MUCH FURTHER BACK IN TIME...
...AND HOPEFULLY HELP SOLVE
A LONGSTANDING MYSTERY --
HOW DID THE EXTRAORDINARILY
COMPLEX STRUCTURES OF TODAY
START LIFE?
TODAY'S GALAXIES ARE GIANT,
100 BILLION-STAR CLUSTERS
WITH A DISTINCT ORDER
BURIED WITHIN.
WRAPPED IN LAYERS OF DUST,
YOUNG STARS FORM SPIRALING ARMS,
STRETCHING
FOR THOUSANDS OF LIGHT YEARS.
**
TOWARD THE CENTER
SITS A DENSER CLOUD,
A BULGE OF ANCIENT RED STARS.
AND INSIDE THAT,
SCIENTISTS THINK LIES
A SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE.
**
HOW DID THE FIRST GALAXIES FORM
AND GROW INTO THE MONSTERS
WE SEE TODAY?
**
TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION,
JAMES WEBB MUST FIND
THESE FIRST GALAXIES.
**
AMBER STRAUGHN
WANTS THE TELESCOPE TO CAPTURE
SOME OF THE OLDEST LIGHT
IN THE UNIVERSE.
**
THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE
ISGONNA BE BIG ENOUGH
TO LOOK BACK AND SEE
SOME OF THE VERY FIRST GALAXIES
THAT WERE BORN
AFTER THE BIG BANG.
SEEING BACK IN TIME THAT FAR
IS CHALLENGING.
Narrator:
THE BIG BANG KICK-STARTED
THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE.
SINCE THAT MOMENT, SPACE ITSELF
HAS KEPT STRETCHING
FURTHER AND FURTHER APART.
THIS ALTERS
THE WAVELENGTHS OF THE LIGHT
THE TELESCOPE IS TRYING TO SEE.
Straughn: THE LIGHT THAT IS
TRAVELING THROUGH THE UNIVERSE
IS LITERALLY STRETCHED.
THE WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT
ARE STRETCHED
AS THE UNIVERSE EXPANDS.
AND THE MOST DISTANT GALAXIES,
THE LIGHT FROM THOSE GALAXIES
HAS BEEN TRAVELING SO FAR
AND FOR SO LONG
THAT THE WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT
ARE REDDER
THAN WHAT OPTICAL TELESCOPES
CAN SEE.
THAT LIGHT HAS BEEN SHIFTED
ALL THE WAY INTO THE INFRARED.
**
Narrator:
JAMES WEBB'S CAMERAS ARE TUNED
TO SEE THIS ANCIENT
INFRARED LIGHT.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS,
ANY HEAT THE TELESCOPE GIVES OFF
WILL ALSO SHOW UP IN INFRARED,
RUINING THE IMAGES.
TO KEEP IT EXTRA COLD,
A TENNIS COURT-SIZED UMBRELLA
WILL SHIELD THE CAMERA
FROM THE SUN'S RAYS.
HIGH-TECH BLANKETS PROVIDE
AN EXTRA LAYER OF PROTECTION
FOR THE SENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS.
Straughn:
WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS A PIECE OF MULTILAYER
THERMAL BLANKETING.
AND SO BLANKETING LIKE THIS
IS WHAT'S GOING TO BE USED
ON THE JAMES WEBB
SPACE TELESCOPE.
THE MULTILAYERS HERE
ARE WHAT HELP
TO KEEP THE INSULATION
PROPERTIES OF THE TELESCOPE
THAT WE NEED TO ACHIEVE THE
AMAZING SCIENCE THAT WE WANT TO.
Narrator:
THANKS PARTLY TO ITS BLANKETING,
JAMES WEBB'S CAMERAS CAN OPERATE
AT JUST SEVEN DEGREES
ABOVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO.
BUT TO SEE
THE EARLIEST GALAXIES,
THE HIGHLY SENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS
ON BOARD JAMES WEBB
MUST FIRST SURVIVE THE VIOLENT
ROCKET VOYAGE INTO SPACE.
AND THAT MEANS MAKING IT THROUGH
NASA'S VERY OWN
CHAMBER OF HORRORS.
WE DO PRETTY MUCH TWO KINDS OF
TESTING ON SOMETHING LIKE WEBB.
WE SHAKE IT AND BAKE IT.
**
THE SHAKE PART IS TO SIMULATE
THE VERY VIOLENT ENVIRONMENT
THAT YOU GET OF SHAKING
FROM A LAUNCH VEHICLE.
**
THE BAKE PART IS,
WE PUT PAYLOAD INTO HERE --
NASA GODDARD'S LARGEST
THERMAL VACUUM CHAMBER.
IT'S A BIG METAL CAN,
AND WE SUCK
ALL THE AIR OUT OF IT,
TAKING IT TO THE EXTREMES
OF COLD AND HOT
THAT IT WOULD SEE IN SPACE.
**
Narrator: ONCE EVERY PART
PASSES NASA'S TESTS,
THE GIANT TELESCOPE
WILL MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER
TO ITS LAUNCH ON
A HEAVY-LIFTING ARIANE 5 ROCKET.
**
BUT SCIENTISTS ARE ALREADY
HUNTING EVEN FURTHER...
TRYING TO PEERBEYOND
THE FIRST GALAXIES.
AND IN THEIR HUNT
FOR THE BIG BANG,
THEY'RE FINDING
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
Wechsler: MOST OF THE MASS
IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT THE STUFF
THAT MAKES UP STARS
AND PLANETS AND PEOPLE.
**
Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE DEVELOPING
A NEW GENERATION OF TELESCOPES
TO LOOK DEEP
INTO OUR UNIVERSE'S HISTORY
IN THE HUNT FOR THE BIG BANG.
Narrator: BUT AROUND 13 1/2
BILLION YEARS INTO THE PAST,
300 MILLION
YEARS AFTER THE BIG BANG,
ALL THE LIGHT SEEMS TO RUN OUT.
THIS MAKES
OPTICAL TELESCOPES USELESS.
AS WE'RE LOOKING BACK IN TIME
WITH OUR OPTICAL TELESCOPES,
WE EVENTUALLY HIT A WALL.
Narrator: SO, TO PROBE
FURTHER BACK IN TIME,
SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING
A NEW TACTIC --
BUILDING THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE
IN A COMPUTER.
**
AT THE SLAC NATIONAL
ACCELERATOR LAB IN CALIFORNIA,
RISA WECHSLER CAN CREATE
A UNIVERSE FROM SCRATCH.
HER AIM IS TO SEE
WHAT TELESCOPES CAN'T --
HOW OUR UNIVERSE ENDED UP
WITH THE STRUCTURE IT HAS TODAY.
Wechsler: WE'RE TRYING
TO MODEL THE UNIVERSE
ON THIS REALLY VAST RANGE
OF MASS SCALES, LENGTH SCALES,
AND TIME SCALES,
AND SOME OF THOSE CALCULATIONS
YOU JUST CAN'T DO
WITH PEN AND PAPER.
SO THIS IS A SUPERCOMPUTER
THAT WE USE
TO DO
THOSE KIND OF CALCULATIONS.
**
Narrator: THIS SUPERCOMPUTER
HAS THE PROCESSING CAPACITY
OF ABOUT 10,000 HOME COMPUTERS.
TAPPING INTO ITS AWESOME POWER,
RISA MODELS MILLIONS OF STARS
CLUSTERING IN THE COSMOS.
OUR BASIC UNDERSTANDING
OF THE UNIVERSE RIGHT NOW
ACTUALLY CAN QUITE AMAZINGLY
BE DESCRIBED
BY A FAIRLY SMALL SET OF NUMBERS
THAT DESCRIBE THE BASIC
CONSTITUENTS OF THE UNIVERSE.
AND WE PUT IN THE BASIC PHYSICS,
WHICH ON LARGE SCALES
IN THE UNIVERSE
IS REALLY DOMINATED BY GRAVITY.
SO WE'VE PUT THOSE TWO THINGS
INTO THE COMPUTER,
AND WE'RE ABLE
TO MAKE PREDICTIONS
FOR HOW THE UNIVERSE EVOLVES.
Narrator:
MASSIVE SKY SURVEYS HAVE MAPPED
NEARLY HALF A BILLION STARS
AND GALAXIES.
THESE GIVE RISA
AN EXTREMELY ACCURATE PICTURE
OF HOW THE COSMOS LOOK TODAY.
SHE THEN USES THE COMPUTERS
TO EVOLVE HER MODEL
OF THE UNIVERSE
FROM JUST AFTER THE BIG BANG.
Wechsler: IN THIS PARTICULAR
VERSION OF THE UNIVERSE,
WE'VE PUT IN ROUGHLY THE AMOUNT
OF STUFF THAT WE THINK EXISTS
IN THE VISIBLE PART OF GALAXIES,
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THE GAS,
AS WELL.
Narrator:
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.
WHEN RISA RUNS THIS SIMULATION
OF OUR UNIVERSE,
IT DOESN'T TAKE SHAPE
LIKE IT SHOULD.
Wechsler:
GRAVITY PULLS THINGS TOGETHER,
SO IT MAKES THE REGIONS
THAT WERE A LITTLE BIT DENSE
MORE DENSE,
BUT WE FIND THAT THAT PROCESS
HAPPENS REALLY SLOWLY.
Narrator:
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MATERIAL
FOR GRAVITY TO ACT FAST ENOUGH,
SO STARS AND GALAXIES
DON'T CLUSTER INTO THE UNIVERSE
WE SEE TODAY.
Wechsler:
AND THE FINAL END TIME HERE,
WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT
THE PRESENT,
ACTUALLY IS STILL
NOT THAT DIFFERENT
AND THAT IS REALLY TELLING US
THAT IN THIS VERSION
OF THE UNIVERSE,
THERE HAS TO BE
SOMETHING MISSING.
Narrator: WHATEVER'S MISSING
IS A MAJOR OBSTACLE
FOR RETRACING OUR UNIVERSE
BACK TO THE BIG BANG.
BUT THE BEAUTY OF BUILDING
THE UNIVERSE IN A COMPUTER
IS THAT RISA CAN TWEAK HER MODEL
UNTIL IT MATCHES THE REAL WORLD.
Wechsler:
IN THE PREVIOUS MOVIE,
WE JUST DIDN'T GET STUFF
CLUSTERING ENOUGH,
AND THERE ARE BASICALLY
TWO WAYS TO FIX THAT.
ONE IS TO CHANGE
THE LAWS OF PHYSICS,
OR YOU CAN CHANGE
THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL
OR THE KIND OF MATERIAL
IN THE UNIVERSE.
Narrator:
ONLY WHEN RISA ADDS
SIX TIMES
THE AMOUNT OF MATTER AS BEFORE
DOES THE RECOGNIZABLE UNIVERSE
START TO TAKE SHAPE.
Wechsler: SO WE PUT IN
THIS EXTRA AMOUNT OF MATTER.
WE ACTUALLY FIND THAT
THAT EXTRA COMPONENT
ALLOWS GRAVITY
TO WORK MORE RAPIDLY,
AND IT PRODUCES
A DISTRIBUTION OF GALAXIES
THAT LOOK MUCH MORE LIKE
WHAT WE ACTUALLY GO OUT
AND MEASURE
WITH OUR LARGE TELESCOPES.
Narrator:
IN THIS VERSION OF THE UNIVERSE,
THE BRIGHT SPOTS REPRESENT
OUR GALAXIES,
BUT THEY NESTLE AMONG
A WIDER WEB OF INVISIBLE MATTER.
SO, WHAT IS THIS HIDDEN STUFF
THE MODELS PREDICT
THAT MAKES UP MOST OF
OUR UNIVERSE SINCE THE BIG BANG?
PULLING APART A GALAXY
REVEALS THE PROBLEM.
TAKE AWAY THE GAS, DUST,
PLANETS, AND STARS,
THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING LEFT.
BUT THE MODEL SUGGESTS
THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE
INSTRUMENTS CAN'T SEE.
DARK MATTER -- A MYSTERIOUS
AND INVISIBLE SUBSTANCE
FORMING A HIDDEN HALO.
ITS EXTRA GRAVITY ACTS ON THE
PARTS OF GALAXIES WE CAN SEE,
HOLDING THEM TOGETHER.
IF THE MODELS ARE CORRECT,
THIS MISSING MATTER MUST MAKE UP
A HUGE PART OF OUR COSMOS.
IN OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING,
ABOUT 85% OF THE MASS
IN THE UNIVERSE IS THIS STUFF
CALLED DARK MATTER.
SO IT'S DIFFERENT
THAN THE NORMAL STUFF
THAT MAKES UP GALAXIES
AND PLANETS AND PEOPLE.
IT IS EVERYWHERE
IN THE UNIVERSE,
INCLUDING RIGHT HERE.
THERE MIGHT BE AS MANY AS
A THOUSAND DARK-MATTER PARTICLES
GOING THROUGH MY THUMBNAIL
EVERY SECOND.
Narrator:
THE DISCOVERY OF DARK MATTER
IS A MAJOR HURDLE IN THE QUEST
TO UNDERSTAND THE BIG BANG.
IF THE MODELS ARE CORRECT,
MOST OF THE UNIVERSE
WAS BUILT FROM MATERIAL
WE CAN'T SEE OR FEEL,
AND IT'S MOST LIKELY
BEEN LURKING THERE
SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME.
**
Narrator: TO FULLY UNDERSTAND
THE STORY OF OUR UNIVERSE,
SCIENTISTS ARE ON THE HUNT FOR
DARK MATTER IN OUR MODERN WORLD.
**
ON THE STANFORD CAMPUS,
AARON ROODMAN IS CONSTRUCTING A
TELESCOPE TO SEE THE UNSEEABLE.
THE LARGE
SYNOPTIC SURVEY TELESCOPE
IN CHILE.
ITS 10-YEAR MISSION IS TO
HUNT DOWN ELUSIVE DARK MATTER.
**
Roodman: ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE'RE GONNA DO
WITH THE LARGE
SYNOPTIC SURVEY TELESCOPE,
OR LSST, IS TO OBSERVE LITERALLY
BILLIONS OF GALAXIES IN THE SKY.
Narrator: THE LSST WILL REVEAL
DARK MATTER'S PRESENCE
BY TRACKING THE LIGHT
STREAMING OUT OF THESE GALAXIES.
THE DARK-MATTER HALO AROUND
NEARBY GALAXY CLUSTERS
DISTORTS OBJECTS
THAT PASS BEHIND,
JUST LIKE A LENS BENDS LIGHT.
THE LSST WILL HAVE TO RECORD
ALL THESE TINY DISTORTIONS...
...SO ENGINEERS ARE BUILDING
THE MOST POWERFUL DIGITAL CAMERA
EVER PUT INTO A TELESCOPE.
189 GIANT SENSOR CHIPS
WILL CAPTURE THE FAINT LIGHT
FROM BILLIONS OF GALAXIES.
THIS IS WHAT RECORDS THE IMAGE
THAT TURNS WHAT WE SEE
FROM THE TELESCOPE
INTO A DIGITAL PICTURE.
Narrator: THE ENTIRE CAMERA
WILL GENERATE IMAGES
THREE GIGAPIXELS IN SIZE.
IN 2 SECONDS, WE'RE ABLE
TO COLLECT 6 GIGABYTES,
AND WE'LL DO THAT
EVERY 15 SECONDS, ALL NIGHT,
FOR 10 YEARS.
**
Narrator:
THE FINISHED LSST WILL REVEAL
EXACTLY WHERE DARK MATTER
COLLECTS IN THE COSMOS.
SCIENTISTS ARE NOW STARTING
TO GRASP THE FULL EXTENT
OF HOW THIS HIDDEN HAND
SHAPES OUR UNIVERSE,
ALLOWING THEM TO REACH FURTHER
BACK IN TIME
ON THE HUNT FOR THE BIG BANG.
LONG BEFORE
GALAXIES START TO FORM,
FILAMENTS OF DARK MATTER KNOT
TOGETHER INTO A VAST COSMIC WEB.
**
ALONG THE BRANCHES,
GAS COLLECTS IN CLUMPS.
**
INSIDE, STARS LIGHT UP AND
SCATTER THEIR CHEMICAL RICHES
THROUGHOUT THE EMBRYONAL COSMOS.
GALAXIES HUDDLE
IN THE DARK-MATTER WEB,
SAFE FROM BEING
FLUNG OUT INTO SPACE.
THAT'S HOW A SHADOW UNIVERSE
SHAPED THE COSMOS WE KNOW TODAY.
THE BEAUTY OF DARK MATTER
IS THAT EVEN THOUGH
WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT EXISTED,
IT WAS THE INVISIBLE HAND
THAT SCULPTED THE UNIVERSE
IN WHICH WE LIVE NOW.
**
Narrator: DARK MATTER
IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT.
WITHOUT IT, OUR UNIVERSE
WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE.
IT'S ALLOWING SCIENTISTS
TO ACTUALLY RETRACE
THE EVOLUTION OF OUR COSMOS
FROM THE PRESENT DAY
BACK OVER 13 1/2 BILLION YEARS.
BUT IN THE HUNT
FOR THE BIG BANG,
THEY ARE LOOKING BACK
EVEN FURTHER,
ATTEMPTING TO EXPLORE
THE FIRST 100 MILLION YEARS
OF THE UNIVERSE,
BEFORE THE STARS WERE EVEN BORN.
**
TO ENTER THIS ERA,
SCIENTISTS MUST CREATE
NEW TOOLS TO PROBE A UNIVERSE
BEFORE LIGHT.
WHAT SECRETS LIE HIDDEN
IN THE COSMIC DARK AGE?
**
SCIENTISTS ARE RETRACING
THE STORY OF THE UNIVERSE.
THEY ARE USING A NEW GENERATION
OF TELESCOPES AND SUPERCOMPUTERS
TO TRAVEL BACK
TO THE VERY BEGINNING.
BUT AROUND 200 MILLION YEARS
AFTER THE BIG BANG,
ROUGHLY THE POINT
WHERE THE FIRST STARS
SHOULD BURN INTO LIFE,
A VAST CLOUD OF GAS
BLOCKS THEIR VIEW.
THERE'S A LIMIT
TO HOW FAR BACK YOU CAN GO
THE UNIVERSE ITSELF
BECOMES OPAQUE.
SO IT WAS LIKE A FOG, RIGHT?
YOU COULDN'T SEE THROUGH IT.
Narrator:
BECAUSE OPTICAL TELESCOPES
CAN'T PIERCE THE FOG,
THIS ERA IS KNOWN
AS THE COSMIC DARK AGE.
TO FIND THE FIRST STARS,
SCIENTISTS NEED A WAY
THROUGH THE FOG.
**
TUCKED BESIDE THE SIERRA NEVADA
SITS A SPECIAL TYPE
OF TELESCOPE.
THESE STRANGE STRUCTURES
ARE PICKING UP ECHOES
FROM THE FIRST 200 MILLION YEARS
OF OUR UNIVERSE.
SINCE THAT TIME,
THE UNIVERSE HAS EXPANDED TO
OVER 30 TIMES ITS ORIGINAL SIZE,
SO THE RADIATION
PRODUCED IN THESE ANCIENT TIMES
HAS ALSO STRETCHED.
**
GREGG HALLINAN
USES THE 288 RADIO ANTENNAS
THAT MAKE UP THE OWENS VALLEY
LONG WAVELENGTH ARRAY.
THEY'RE SPREAD OUT
IN A KIND OF RANDOM DISTRIBUTION
ACROSS ABOUT 1 1/2 KILOMETERS.
Narrator: TODAY, HE'S TRACING
A FAULT IN JUST ONE OF THEM.
EVERYTHING IS KIND OF CONNECTED
ELECTRICALLY,
AND ONE TOUCH
BLOWS THE WHOLE THING.
THE VOLTAGE LOOKS FINE,
SO I'M ASSUMING
THE PROBLEM MUST BE
IN A SIGNAL PATH
IN THE ACTUAL BUILDING ITSELF.
Narrator: GREGG'S TEAM COMBINES
THE VERY FAINT SIGNALS
FROM ALL THESE ANTENNAS,
ALLOWING A RARE GLIMPSE OF
EVENTS IN THE COSMIC DARK AGE.
TODAY'S SUPERCOMPUTERS
ARE FINALLY POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO COMBINE SIGNALS FROM LOTS
OF ANTENNAS LIKE WE HAVE HERE.
AND IT'S REALLY CRUCIAL,
BECAUSE WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND
HOW THOSE STARS FORMED.
Narrator: RATHER THAN TRY
AND SEE THROUGH THE FOG,
GREGG'S TELESCOPE
SEES THE FOGITSELF.
BECAUSE THE FOG
PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE
IN THE STORY OF OUR UNIVERSE.
13.7 BILLION YEARS AGO,
DARKNESS RULES.
THERE ARE NO STARS OR PLANETS,
ONLY A FOG
MADE MOSTLY OF HYDROGEN GAS.
OVER TIME, GRAVITY SQUEEZES
THE GAS INTO DENSE CLUMPS,
FORGING THE FIRST STARS
OF THE COSMOS.
THESE SHORT-LIVED FIREBALLS
BURN WITH INTENSE BLUE LIGHT.
AS MORE
OF THESE FURNACES IGNITE,
THEY BURN HOLES
IN THE THICK FOG,
SPREADING THE FIRST STARLIGHT
THROUGH SPACE,
PUTTING AN END TO THE DARK AGE.
GREGG'S ANTENNAS
ARE TRYING TO PINPOINT
WHEN THESE FIRST STARS
BEGIN TO SHINE.
BUT HOW CAN
SUCH SIMPLE STRUCTURES
SPOT AN EVENT
THAT THE WORLD'S BIGGEST
OPTICAL TELESCOPES CAN'T?
**
THEY MEASURE THE THICKNESS
OF THE HYDROGEN GAS CLOUD.
**
AS STARS IGNITE, THEY GRADUALLY
BURN THE CLOUD AWAY.
**
GREGG'S TEAM WILL TRACK
THE HYDROGEN LEVEL
DROPPING OVER THE DURATION
OF THE DARK AGE.
FROM THIS MEASUREMENT,
DETERMINE WHEN THE FIRST STARS
MUST HAVE APPEARED.
Hallinan: THE BIGGEST PROBLEM
THAT ALL THESE EXPERIMENTS HAVE
IS THAT THE SIGNAL
IS PRETTY WEAK.
IT'S WEAK, BUT IT'S DETECTABLE.
BUT A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM
IS THAT
THE RADIATION FROM OUR GALAXY
IS A MILLION TIMES BRIGHTER
THAN THE RADIATION
FROM THE DARK AGES.
Narrator: USING THE EQUIVALENT
PROCESSING POWER
OF OVER 150 HOME COMPUTERS,
GREGG'S TEAM FILTERS OUT
ALL THE NEARBY STARS,
LEAVING THE FAINT TRACE
OF THE ANCIENT HYDROGEN CLOUD.
Hallinan: WE CAN ACTUALLY BEGIN
TO NOW PEEL AWAY
FOR THE FIRST TIME
THE EMISSION
FROM THE FOREGROUND GALAXY
AND LOOK FOR THE SIGNATURE OF
THE DARK AGES HIDDEN BENEATH IT.
[ RUMBLING ]
Narrator:
GREGG AND HIS COLLABORATORS
ARE TAKING A GLIMPSE
INTO THE COSMIC DARK AGE.
AND OVER THE NEXT DECADE,
THEY HOPE TO PINPOINT
WHEN STARLIGHT FIRST APPEARED.
THERE REALLY WAS THIS PARTY
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE
THAT I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SEEN,
BECAUSE THE VERY FIRST STARS
IN THE UNIVERSE
WERE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
THAN THE STARS WE KNOW OF TODAY.
THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS
OR MAYBE EVEN THOUSANDS OF TIMES
THE MASS OF THE SUN.
THEY WOULD BARELY
HAVE HELD TOGETHER
BEFORE THEY BLEW UP
IN A SUPERNOVA EXPLOSION.
**
Narrator:
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HYDROGEN FOG
THAT MADE THESE STARS?
WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
AND CAN ASTRONOMERS SEE PAST IT?
THIS CLOSE TO THE BIG BANG,
IT'S BECOMING DIFFICULT
TO SEE ANYTHING.
**
Narrator:
SCIENTISTS NEED NEW TECHNIQUES
TO EXPLORE EVENTS
IN THE UNIVERSE'S YOUNGEST DAYS.
THE FOG THAT FILLS THE DARK AGE
IS MOSTLY MADE OF HYDROGEN,
AND HYDROGEN IS THE SIMPLEST
ATOM IN THE UNIVERSE.
WE MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE IDEA
OF AN ATOM, BUT IN TRUTH,
THAT'S JUST
THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
WHEN IT COMES TO BREAKING DOWN
THE MATTER OF THE UNIVERSE
INTO ITS COMPONENT PIECES.
Narrator: EVERY HYDROGEN ATOM
HAD TO BEGIN SOMEWHERE,
AND THIS IS THE NEXT QUEST
FOR SCIENTISTS
TRYING TO HUNT DOWN
THE BIG BANG.
**
IN BROOKHAVEN, LONG ISLAND,
A TEAM IS LOOKING BACK
TO BEFORE THE FIRST ATOMS
WERE MADE.
Geithner: SO, THIS IS THE
RELATIVISTIC HEAVY ION COLLIDER.
THIS IS WHERE WE CAN RE-CREATE
THE CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED
AT ONE MICROSECOND
AFTER THE BIG BANG.
THAT'S BEFORE YOU HAD ATOMS
AND BEFORE THOSE ATOMS
COULD'VE FORMED STARS
OR ANY OF THE STUFF THAT
WE KNOW OF IN THE GALAXY TODAY.
Narrator: PAUL SORENSEN'S TEAM
FIRES THE NUCLEI OF GOLD ATOMS
AROUND AN ACCELERATOR.
**
THIS ACCELERATOR IS MADE OUT
OF THESE TWO RINGS
OF SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS.
INSIDE THERE,
THE GOLD NUCLEI ARE ACCELERATED
TO VERY CLOSE
TO THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
AND THEY'RE MOVING
IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
IN THE TWO RINGS.
THIS WHOLE TUNNEL,
THE CIRCUMFERENCE
IS ABOUT 3 KILOMETERS,
AND THE GOLD NUCLEI
CAN GO AROUND THAT WHOLE TUNNEL
ABOUT 10,000 TIMES PER SECOND.
**
Narrator: THE NUCLEI MEET INSIDE
THIS GIANT DETECTOR,
CREATING A VERY BRIEF SNAPSHOT
OF THE UNIVERSE
WHEN IT WAS
A MILLIONTH OF A SECOND OLD,
A TIME BEFORE ATOMS EXISTED.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
THESE TWO GOLD NUCLEI COLLIDE
IS THAT THEY CREATE THIS
EXTREMELY HOT AND DENSE MATTER
WHICH SURVIVES FOR A VERY SHORT
AMOUNT OF TIME.
Narrator: AS THE GOLD NUCLEI
APPROACH THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
THEY ARE BRIMMING WITH ENERGY.
WHEN THEY COLLIDE,
THE NUCLEI CREATE
A JUMBLED SOUP
OF PRIMORDIAL MATTER --
DENSELY PACKED,
ULTRA-HOT FIREBALL
THAT FILLED THE WHOLE UNIVERSE
ONE MICROSECOND
AFTER THE BIG BANG.
THIS FIERY PLASMA COOLS,
MERGING INTO THE PROTONS
AND NEUTRONS
THAT MAKE UP
THE HEART OF EVERY ATOM.
THE TRACES THAT THEY LEAVE
ARE IMPORTANT CLUES
TO HOW MATTER FIRST FORMED
IN THE COSMOS.
SO, AT FIRST, WHEN YOU START
LOOKING AT THESE COLLISIONS,
YOU MIGHT WONDER, LIKE,
"WELL, WHAT CAN YOU LEARN
FROM ALL OF THOSE TRACKS
THAT COME FLYING OUT?"
Narrator: IT'S LIKE RE-CREATING
A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
FROM THE TIRE MARKS ON THE ROAD.
USING THE DEBRIS TRACKS,
PAUL'S TEAM DETERMINES HOW
AND WHEN IN THE FIRST SECONDS
OF THE UNIVERSE
THE PRIMORDIAL FIREBALL
CONGEALED INTO TODAY'S MATTER.
Geithner:
HOW EXACTLY DID THIS TRANSITION
INTO THE THINGS
THAT WE'RE MADE OF TODAY?
AND WE CAN ANSWER
THOSE QUESTIONS
BY LOOKING AT THESE COLLISIONS
AND CHANGING THE ENERGIES
THAT WE LOOK
AT THE COLLISIONS WITH,
HOW MUCH ENERGY
WE PUT INTO THE SYSTEM.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS CAN NOW
RE-CREATE OUR UNIVERSE'S STORY
FROM AN INSTANT AFTER ITS BIRTH.
ONE MICROSECOND
AFTER THE BIG BANG...
THE UNIVERSE WAS A THICK,
BLAZING SOUP
OF PRIMORDIAL MATTER.
IN LESS THAN A SECOND,
THIS FIREBALL STARTS TO CONGEAL
INTO A CLOUD OF PARTICLES.
380,000 YEARS LATER,
SIMPLE ATOMS FORM
IN A FLASH OF ENERGY...
**
...CREATING AN EXPANDING FOG
OF ELEMENTAL GAS
THAT FLOODED THE UNIVERSE
FOR AT LEAST 100 MILLION YEARS.
**
ENTERING THE SUPER HOT WORLD
OF THE PRIMORDIAL SOUP
ALLOWS SCIENTISTS TO TRACE
FURTHER BACK THAN EVER BEFORE,
TO THE VERY FIRST MICROSECOND
AFTER THE BIG BANG.
BUT TO LOOK BEFORE
THIS FIRST MICROSECOND,
THEY HAVE TO ENTER
A NEW REALITY.
THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE
ARE SO FAR FROM REALLY
ANYTHING CLOSE
TO OUR EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE.
Thaller: IT WAS UNIMAGINABLY HOT
AND DENSE,
SO MUCH SO THAT
OUR LAWS OF PHYSICS DON'T APPLY.
Narrator:
THE BIGGEST QUESTION REMAINS --
WHAT WAS THE VERY FIRST MOMENT
OF OUR UNIVERSE?
**
THEY'VE REACHED A POINT
WAY BEYOND
WHAT REGULAR TELESCOPES CAN SEE.
THE FIRST MICROSECOND
AFTER THE BIG BANG.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THAT?
THIS EARLY UNIVERSE TIME IS
SOMEWHAT STILL A MYSTERY TO US.
WE'RE TRYING TO PIECE TOGETHER
THIS MYSTERY
THAT WE CAN'T EVEN REACH
WITH OUR MODERN PHYSICS.
Narrator: THERE IS JUST ONE CLUE
THAT REMAINS.
**
HIGH IN THE PLAINS
OF NEW MEXICO,
NASA ENGINEERS ARE PREPARING TO
LAUNCH A NEW TYPE OF TELESCOPE.
**
IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL,
THIS EXPERIMENT
COULD ALLOW SCIENTISTS
TO FINALLY PROBE THE EARLIEST
MOMENTS OF THE UNIVERSE,
THE FIRST TRILLIONTH
OF A TRILLIONTH
OF A TRILLIONTH OF A SECOND.
**
Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE ON A MISSION
TO SOLVE THE BIGGEST MYSTERY
OUT THERE --
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE UNIVERSE?
IT WOULD BE HARD
TO THINK OF A QUESTION
THAT'S BIGGER THAN
THE START OF SPACE-TIME
AND THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE.
I THINK
THAT'S A VERY DEEP QUESTION.
**
Narrator: AL KOGUT
IS THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
FOR THE PIPER TELESCOPE TRIAL.
**
THE PIPER TELESCOPE WILL HANG
FROM A 300-FOOT-HIGH BALLOON
WITH A SKIN AS THIN
AS A GROCERY BAG.
IT WILL RISE 23 MILES,
CLOSE TO THE EDGE
OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
HERE IT WILL HUNT FOR NEW DETAIL
IN THE OLDEST IMAGE
WE HAVE OF OUR UNIVERSE.
**
TUNING IN A RADIO TELESCOPE
TO THE RIGHT FREQUENCY
REVEALS THAT SPACE
IS BUZZING WITH RADIATION.
TAKING AWAY ALL THE ENERGY
SOURCES SCIENTISTS KNOW OF,
SUCH AS STARS, GALAXY, AND DUST,
LEAVES THE FAINT GLOW
OF A MASSIVE ENERGY BLAST,
RELEASED
WHEN THE FIRST ATOMS FORMED.
IT'S CALLED
THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND,
AND IT'S A HEAT MAP
OF THE EARLY UNIVERSE,
BEARING THE SCARS
OF ITS VIOLENT BIRTH.
HIDDEN IN THIS IMAGE ARE CLUES
THAT COULD REVEAL
OUR UNIVERSE'S FIRST MOMENT.
**
THE PIPER TELESCOPE
IS LOOKING FOR SIGNS
OF A PROCESS CALLED INFLATION
HIDDEN IN THE MICROWAVE
BACKGROUND PICTURE.
INFLATION IS SCIENCE'S
BEST EXPLANATION
FOR HOW OUR COSMOS FORMED.
THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE WOULD BEGIN
STUFFED INTO AN ALMOST
INFINITESIMALLY SMALL SPACE
AND EXPAND FASTER
THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
NO ONE HAS DEFINITIVE PROOF
THIS COULD HAPPEN...
YET.
Kogut: COULD YOU ACTUALLY
FIT EVERYTHING --
ALL THE STARS,
ALL THE GALAXIES --
COULD THAT ALL HAVE BEEN STUFFED
INTO SOMETHING
SMALLER THAN A PROTON?
IF IT IS, PIPER WILL SEE
THE SUBTLE SIGNATURES OF THAT.
Narrator: TO FIND INFLATION,
PIPER WILL LOOK FOR A PATTERN
IN THE WAY THE COSMIC MICROWAVE
BACKGROUND ENERGY IS RELEASED.
Kogut: IF YOU COULD SEE
WHAT THE INSTRUMENT SEES
AND YOU LOOKED UP AT THE SKY,
THE SKY WOULD LOOK TO YOU
A LOT LIKE A VAN GOGH PAINTING.
Narrator:
THE TELESCOPE IS SEARCHING
FOR A PARTICULAR TYPE OF SPIRAL
HIDDEN AMONG BRIGHTER CIRCLES
AND LINES.
FINDING IT WILL REVEAL
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
DURING THE BIG BANG.
**
PIPER WILL HOPEFULLY FLY
EIGHT TIMES OVER THREE YEARS.
IF IT SPOTS INFLATION,
IT WILL FINALLY REVEAL
THE BEGINNING OF TIME.
Kogut:
IF WE SPOT INFLATION,
IT WOULD BE, I THINK,
VERY SATISFYING.
I'VE SPENT A LARGE FRACTION
OF MY CAREER ON THE HUNT.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE
A CAREER WELL-SPENT
IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.
**
Narrator:
SCIENCE CAN NOW REWIND TIME,
RETRACING OUR COSMOS
AS CLOSE TO THE BIG BANG
AS CAN CURRENTLY BE REACHED.
GALAXIES AND STARS HAVE BEEN
AROUND FOR 13.6 BILLION YEARS.
BEFORE THAT, 200 MILLION YEARS
OF ALMOST TOTAL DARKNESS,
WHEN THE UNIVERSE
WAS MOSTLY A HYDROGEN FOG.
THE FURTHER BACK WE LOOK,
THE HOTTER AND SMALLER
THE COSMOS BECOMES.
13.8 BILLION YEARS AGO,
IT WAS A SCORCHING FIREBALL
ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE EARTH,
WHICH, ACCORDING TO
THE MOST LIKELY THEORY,
INFLATED FROM
AN INFINITELY SMALL POINT.
THIS IS AS CLOSE AS WE CAN
CURRENTLY GET TO THE BIG BANG --
THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING.
Greene:
WE CAN GET TO HALF A SECOND,
A MILLIONTH OF A SECOND
AFTER THE BIG BANG,
A TRILLIONTH OF A SECOND,
BUT WE TRY TO GO RIGHT TO ZERO
SECONDS AFTER THE BIG BANG --
CREATION ITSELF --
AND THE EQUATIONS JUST FAIL US.
Narrator: NO CURRENT EXPERIMENT
CAN TAKE US RIGHT BACK
TO THE BIG BANG ITSELF.
SO SCIENTISTS
ARE DARING TO THINK
BEFORE THE BIG BANG
TO FIND AN ANSWER.
Thaller: WE DON'T THINK
THE UNIVERSE CAME FROM NOTHING.
WE THINK THAT SOMETHING
MUST HAVE SET OFF
THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE.
BUT WHAT CAN YOU TALK ABOUT
BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF TIME?
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DIMENSIONS,
DIFFERENT TIMES,
DIFFERENT SPACES THAT THE HUMAN
BRAIN CAN'T COMPREHEND.
THERE IS NO
"BEFORE THE BIG BANG."
THE BIG BANG
IS WHERE TIME STARTS,
SO YOU CAN'T
TALK ABOUT "BEFORE."
MEANINGLESS CONCEPT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE DON'T KNOW
THAT THAT'S THE CASE.
IT COULD BE THE CASE
THAT INSTEAD, OUR UNIVERSE,
OUR BIG BANG, MAY HAVE BEEN
AN INTERESTING EVENT
IN A PRE-EXISTING UNIVERSE
AND THAT LARGER CANVAS
MIGHT HAVE HAD
OTHER COMINGS AND GOINGS
BEFORE OUR BIG BANG TOOK PLACE.
Narrator:
COULD THE END OF ONE UNIVERSE
HOLD A CLUE
FOR THE NEXT ONE BEGINNING?
AS OUR UNIVERSE
CONTINUALLY EXPANDS,
OVER TIME, IT WILL TURN INTO
A COLD, BARREN DESERT.
GALAXIES WILL START
FALLING APART.
INSIDE, CHAOS RULES.
STARS RUN OUT OF FUEL,
AND THEIR NUCLEAR ENGINES
IMPLODE.
**
AS THE LIGHTS GO OUT
ON A CHILLING UNIVERSE,
EVEN THE LAST SURVIVORS,
THE BLACK HOLES,
FADE AWAY UNTIL THE WHOLE COSMOS
IS NOTHING BUT A DEAD,
SPARSE SOUP OF TINY PARTICLES.
**
THINGS WILL JUST MEANDER AROUND
THIS EXPANDING ENVIRONMENT,
AND NOTHING ELSE WILL HAPPEN.
THAT MAY BE
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US.
**
Narrator:
THIS COLD, EMPTY UNIVERSE
WOULD PERHAPS SHARE
MANY SIMILARITIES
WITH OUR COSMOS
BEFORE THE BIG BANG.
EVERYTHING WOULD BE
SO STRETCHED OUT
THAT TIME AND SPACE THEMSELVES
WOULD BE
EFFECTIVELY MEANINGLESS.
AND IN THIS STATE OF NOTHING
THAT'S INFINITELY BIG
AND SMALL AT THE SAME TIME,
IT'S POSSIBLE
A NEW UNIVERSE COULD BEGIN...
**
...REBOOTING COSMOS 2.0
FROM SCRATCH.
**
Oluseyi:
WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIG BANG,
WE KNOW THAT WE DON'T KNOW
THE FINAL WORD.
BUT WEDOKNOW WHAT WEDOKNOW,
AND THAT IS THAT
THE BIG BANG DID OCCUR.
Narrator:
THE BIG BANG IS THE SOURCE
OF EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE.
BUT UNTIL SCIENTISTS
CAN FIGURE OUT
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN
THE FIRST FRACTION OF A SECOND,
THERE WILL STILL BE MYSTERIES
REMAINING IN THE HUNT
FOR THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING.