Neutron stars are some of the densest objects you can find (outside of the infinite density of a black hole). They're crushed by their own immense gravity into a compact quantum-mechanical soup that's in some ways similar to an atomic nucleus the size of a mountain.
中子星的密度几乎是你能够找到的密度最大的物体之一（除了密度无限大的黑洞）。这样的星球被自身强大的重力压缩成一份致密的量子力学汤，某种意义上就像是一座山那么大的原子核。
Is our bullet made from a neutron star?
我们的子弹是用中子星上的材料制作的吗？
No. Charlotte asked for a bullet as dense as a neutron star, not one made from actual neutron star material. That's good, because you can't make a bullet from that stuff. If you take neutron star material outside of the crushing gravity well where it's normally found, it will re-expand into superhot normal matter with an outpouring of energy more powerful than any nuclear weapon.
不是。夏洛特想要的是密度和中子星一样大的子弹，而不是由中子星上的材料制成的子弹。这很好，因为你没法用中子星上的材料制作出一个子弹来。如果你把中子星上的物质拿到其引力势阱范围之外，它会重新膨胀成一团极其炽热的普通物质，释放出的能量大于任何一种核武器。
That's presumably why Charlotte suggested we make our bullet out of some magical, stable material that's as dense as a neutron star.
这大概也是为什么夏洛特只想要一种稳定的、密度和中子星相当的、由神奇材料制成的子弹。
What would the bullet do to the Earth?
子弹会对地球产生什么影响？
You could imagine firing it from a gun,3 but it might be more interesting to simply drop it. In either case, the bullet would accelerate downward, punch into the ground, and burrow toward the center of the Earth.
你可以想象它是从一支枪里发射出来的，3但考虑把它从半空中释放的场景会更为有趣。不管怎么样，子弹都会向下加速，撞到地面，然后继续一路陷进地球深处。
This wouldn't destroy the Earth, but it would be pretty strange.
这颗子弹不会毁灭地球，但产生的结果相当奇怪。
As the bullet got within a few feet of the ground, the force of its gravity would yank up a huge clump of dirt, which would ripple wildly around the bullet as it fell, spraying in all directions. As it went in, you'd feel the ground shake, and it would leave a jumbled, fractured crater with no entry hole.
当子弹刚陷入地面一两米时，它自身的重力会扬起大量尘土，随着子弹越陷越深，尘土形成的涟漪会向四周越来越远的地方扩散。同时，你会感觉到地面在震动，子弹会在地面上留下一个破烂不堪、满是裂纹的大坑，但入口洞已经不见了。