NASA發現7顆超近類地行星 星際移民或有盼頭了
NASA scientists have discovered at least seven Earth-sized planets, each potentially capable of hosting life, orbiting a nearby star just outside the solar system.
美國宇航局的科學家們發現，至少有七顆地球大小的行星圍繞着太陽系外的一顆臨近恆星運行，每顆行星都可能適宜生命體生存。The exciting discovery announced Wednesday has been deemed one of the first realistic opportunities to begin a search for alien life outside our system as well as the first time so many planets were discovered circling the same star.
22日公開的發現激動人心，被視爲開啓探索太陽系外外星生物的首批現實機遇之一，也是人類首次發現如此多的行星環繞在同一顆恆星周圍。The cluster of planets orbit a dim dwarf star, just barely the size of Jupiter, called Trappist-1. The group of planets are about 40 light years away which isn't actually all that far away from Earth. The close proximity will allow the system to be studied in great detail, according to the release.
這羣行星圍繞的暗矮星和木星差不多大，被稱爲特拉普1號。行星與地球相距約40光年，這樣的距離實際上並不算遙遠。據新聞稿稱，在這樣靠近的距離下，人類可以對該行星系進行詳細的研究。
Three of the planets or exoplanets as scientist call them, are receiving just the right amount of energy from the host star, meaning oceans of water could cover their surfaces. Scientists refer to the ideal zone just around the star as "the habitable zone," sometimes jokingly called the "Goldilocks Zone," as it is just right for supporting life.
其中三顆行星（科學家們也稱之爲系外行星）從恆星接受到的能量恰到好處，這意味着它們的表面可能覆蓋了大面積的液態水。科學家們將該行星系恆星周圍的理想地帶稱爲“宜居地帶”，由於這裏正好適宜生命生存，他們有時也將其戲稱爲“金髮美女地帶”。
The other three bodies farther off from the star could feature smaller bodies of water and the seventh could even boast a puddle or two under ideal conditions.
另外三顆離恆星較遠的行星表面覆蓋的液態水可能較少，理想條件下第七顆行星甚至可能只有一兩個水坑。NASA's space telescope Spitzer, an infrared telescope that trails the earth as it orbits the sun, revealed the new system.
美國宇航局史匹哲天文望遠鏡發現了這個全新的行星系。史匹哲紅外望遠鏡繞太陽運行，追蹤地球。"This is the most exciting result I have seen in the 14 years of Spitzer operations," said Sean Carey, manager of NASA's Spitzer Science Center at Caltech/IPAC. "Spitzer will follow up in the fall to further refine our understand of these planets so that the James Webb Space Telescope can follow up. More observations of the system are sure to reveal more secrets."
加州理工學院美國宇航局史匹哲科學中心負責人肖恩?卡雷稱，“這是史匹哲運行14年以來，我看到的最令人興奮的結果。”史匹哲將在秋季進一步完善我們對這些行星的瞭解，以便於詹姆斯?韋伯天文望遠鏡跟進。對該行星系的進一步觀察必將透露出更多的奧祕。”
