Scientists Discover Six Planet System Orbiting in ‘Perfect Harmony’

Scientists Discover Six Planet System Orbiting in ‘Perfect Harmony’

科学家发现六颗行星系统以“完美和谐”的方式运行

【原文听力】

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　By Bryan Lynn

　　10 December 2023

　　Scientists have identified six planets orbiting a nearby star "in perfect harmony" in our Milky Way galaxy. The solar system appears to be untouched by outside forces since it was created, likely billions of years ago.

　　The rare discovery was made by observations from a pair of space telescopes – the European Space Agency's Cheops, and Tess, operated by the American space agency NASA. The find is expected to provide astronomers with new data to help them learn more about how solar systems form and develop.

　　The six planets sit in the northern sky constellation of Coma Berenices, about 100 light-years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in a year – about 9.5 trillion kilometers.

　　The star the planets are orbiting is known as HD110067. It is about 20 percent smaller in mass than our sun. The six planets are about two to three times the size of Earth. But they are believed to have densities closer to gas giants in our own solar system, such as Jupiter and Saturn.

　　The scientists say the planets are considered "sub-Neptunes." This is a common kind of planet found within our Milky Way galaxy. These planets are generally much larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.

　　The orbits range from nine days to 54 days. This puts them closer to their star than Venus is to our sun. It also makes the planets intensely hot. The researchers say that while only six planets were discovered, there could be more.

　　An international team of astronomers recently described the findings in a study that appeared in the publication Nature.

　　The researchers reported the six planets were in a rare condition called orbital resonance. This is when two or more moons line up with their parent planet at regular times and interact gravitationally. In this case, the team described the solar system as completely "synchronized" in a gravitational formation. Synchronized means happening at the same time and speed.

　　The scientists say it is likely these synchronized orbits have been happening since the system formed about 4 billion years ago. The planets were identified by observing small drops in the star's brightness when a planet passed in front of the star.

　　Hugh Osborn, of the University of Bern in Switzerland, helped lead the research. He said the resonance interactions demonstrate "the mathematical beauty" of the system. Osborn added that the newly discovered system could possibly "unlock the secrets of these mysterious sub-Neptune planets, which we know so little about."

　　The lead writer of the study was Rafael Luque. He is an astronomer from the University of Chicago. He said the discovery will likely become a very useful tool to study sub-Neptunes.

　　Scientists have long wondered whether sub-Neptunes might be rocky planets with thick atmospheres of hydrogen and helium. They have also suggested the planets might be made of rock and ice, with warm and water-rich atmospheres.

　　Luque said the synchronized nature of the discovered system is highly rare and requires further study. "We think only about one percent of all systems stay in resonance, and even fewer show a chain of planets in such configuration," he said. "It shows us the pristine configuration of a planetary system that has survived untouched."

　　Enric Palle is a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands. He told the Associated Press that while astronomers know of 40 to 50 in-sync solar systems, none have as many planets in such perfect synchronization as the newly discovered one.

　　The University of Bern's Osborn said he was surprised but pleased when the orbital periods of the planets came close to what scientists predicted. "My jaw was on the floor," he said. "That was a really nice moment."

　　I'm Bryan Lynn.

　　Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, NASA, The University of Chicago and the University of Geneva.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　由Bryan Lynn撰写

　　2023年12月10日

　　科学家们已经发现了在我们的银河系中，有六颗行星以“完美和谐”的方式围绕着一个附近的恒星运行。这个太阳系自从它形成的时候就似乎没有受到外部力量的影响，这可能已经有数十亿年的历史了。

　　这个罕见的发现是通过观察来自一对太空望远镜的数据得出的 - 欧洲空间局的Cheops和美国航天局NASA运营的Tess。这个发现预计将为天文学家提供新的数据，帮助他们更多地了解太阳系是如何形成和发展的。

　　这六颗行星位于北天空的昴星团星座中，距离地球大约100光年。光年是光在一年中行走的距离 - 大约9.5万亿公里。

　　这些行星围绕的恒星被称为HD110067。它的质量比我们的太阳小约20%。这六颗行星的大小约为地球的两到三倍。但是，人们认为它们的密度更接近我们自己的太阳系中的气态巨大行星，如木星和土星。

　　科学家们说，这些行星被认为是“次海王星”。这是我们银河系中常见的一种行星。这些行星通常比地球大得多，但比海王星小。

　　这些行星的轨道周期从9天到54天不等。这使得它们比金星离我们的太阳更近。这也使得这些行星非常热。研究人员说，虽然只发现了六颗行星，但可能还有更多。

　　一个国际天文学家团队最近在《自然》杂志上发表了一项研究，描述了这些发现。

　　研究人员报告说，这六颗行星处于一种罕见的状态，称为轨道共振。这是当两个或更多的卫星在规定的时间与其母星排列一致，并通过引力进行相互作用。在这种情况下，研究团队将这个太阳系描述为在引力形成中完全“同步”。同步意味着在同一时间和速度发生。

　　科学家们说，这些同步的轨道可能自系统形成大约40亿年前就一直在发生。通过观察行星经过恒星前面时恒星亮度的微小下降，确定了这些行星。

　　瑞士伯尔尼大学的Hugh Osborn协助领导了这项研究。他说，共振相互作用展示了这个系统的“数学之美”。Osborn补充说，新发现的系统可能会“揭开这些神秘的次海王星行星的秘密，我们对此知之甚少。”

　　这项研究的主要作者是Rafael Luque。他是芝加哥大学的一位天文学家。他说，这个发现可能会成为研究次海王星的一个非常有用的工具。

　　科学家们长期以来一直在猜测，次海王星可能是具有厚厚的氢和氦大气层的岩石行星。他们还提出，这些行星可能由岩石和冰构成，拥有温暖且富含水分的大气层。

　　Luque表示，发现的系统的同步性极为罕见，需要进一步研究。他说：“我们认为只有大约1%的所有系统保持在共振状态，甚至更少的系统显示出如此配置的行星链。”他说：“这向我们展示了一个原始的行星系统配置，它一直未受到干扰地存活下来。”

　　Enric Palle是加那利群岛天体物理研究所的一名研究员。他告诉美联社，虽然天文学家知道有40到50个同步的太阳系，但没有一个像新发现的那样有如此多的行星完美同步。

　　伯尔尼大学的Osborn表示，当行星的轨道周期接近科学家预测的值时，他感到惊讶但很高兴。他说：“我当时惊讶得下巴都掉下来了。那真是一个非常美好的时刻。”

　　我是Bryan Lynn。

　　Bryan Lynn为VOA学习英语撰写了这篇报道，报道基于美联社、路透社、NASA、芝加哥大学和日内瓦大学的报道。

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　本故事中的词汇

　　harmony – n. 人们和平相处，彼此一致的情况

　　interact – v. 如果两件事物互动，它们会对彼此产生影响

　　chain – n.一系列连在一起的事物

　　configuration – n.一组相关事物出现的排列或模式

　　pristine – adj.状况非常好

　　jaw on the floor – phr. 用来表达深深的震惊或惊讶的短语