美国国家公共电台 NPR Why The Discovery Of An Earth-Like Planet Is Such A Big Deal

Why The Discovery Of An Earth-Like Planet Is Such A Big Deal 

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We like to think all stories are equal. But our astrophysicist thinks we did not make a big-enough deal of what he thinks is a story so important it gives him chills. So here's last week's news through the misty² eyes of NPR blogger Adam Frank.

ADAM FRANK, BYLINE³: Now, you may have heard the news. But did you really hear the news? Recently, astronomers⁴ announced they found a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the star closest to the sun. Turns out we've got a neighbor. And that's a big deal.

See, most of the stars are so far away that even with a hyper rocket traveling close to light speed, it would still take millennia⁵ to reach them - but not Proxima Centauri. Just 4 light years away, our hypothetical hyper rocket could get there in less than a human lifetime.

That's why a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri has been a science fiction obsession⁶ for, like, ever. The Proxima planet is so close that extreme telescopes we're building right now may give us an unprecedented⁷, first-of-a-lifetime view of an alien world.

Come on. That's huge. But then there's the deep future. Perhaps in five, 10 or 20 centuries from now, we'll have made it to Proxima's planet.

That means in the same march of years that separates us from the time of Jesus and the Roman Empire, this alien but neighbor planet may be home for billions of our descendants and have already become our first step outwards⁸ in the great adventure that is the stars.

CORNISH: Adam Frank's job on Earth is to teach astrophysics at the University of Rochester.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

6 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 outwards   

adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形

参考例句：

• Does this door open inwards or outwards?这门朝里开还是朝外开？
• In lapping up a fur,they always put the inner side outwards.卷毛皮时，他们总是让内层朝外。