澳大利亚的天文学家发现了太阳系外的一个潜在的宜居星球。这颗超级地球是迄今为止离我们最近的一颗，距地球仅仅14光年。

　　The planet, reported in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, is one of three detected orbiting a small red dwarf star called Wolf 1061 in the constellation Ophiuchus.

　　据《天体物理学》杂志报道，这颗行星系围绕红矮星沃尔夫1061旋转的三颗行星之一，这三颗行星都处于蛇夫座当中。

　　澳大利亚科学家发现超级地球 距地球仅14光年

　　"The middle planet Wolf 1061c, is orbiting within the so-called 'Goldilocks zone' — the habitable zone where it might be possible for liquid water and maybe even life to exist," said the study's lead author Dr Duncan Wright of the University of New South Wales.

　　该研究主要作者邓肯·赖特博士就职于澳大利亚新南威尔士大学。他介绍说：“沃尔夫1061c在3颗行星中位置居中，位于'宜居带'，那里可能会有液态水甚至是生命存在。”

　　"This discovery is especially exciting because the star is extremely calm. Most red dwarfs are very active, giving out X-ray bursts and super flares which spells doom for any life"

　　“这个发现尤其让人兴奋，因为这颗恒星表面极度风平浪静。大多数红矮星非常活跃，会释出X射线，还有吞噬一切生命的超级耀斑。”

　　Wolf 1061 is about a quarter the mass of the Sun with a surface temperature of about 3,100 degrees Celsius — just over half that of the Sun.

　　沃尔夫1061的质量大约是太阳的四分之一；表面温度大概是太阳的一半，大约在3100摄氏度左右。

　　The three newly detected planets are all thought to be rocky terrestrial worlds. The nearest planet orbits the star every five days and is about 1.4 times the mass of the Earth.

　　这三个新探测到的星球都被认为是石质的类地行星。最近的行星每五天绕红矮星旋转一周，质量是地球的1.4倍左右。

　　"It is fascinating to look out at the vastness of space and think a star so very close to us — a near neighbour — could host a habitable planet," said Dr Wright.

　　赖特博士说：“仰望漫无边际的宇宙，意识到在离我们如此之近的地方可能存在一颗宜居行星，这种感觉相当奇妙。”