科学家称发现太阳系新行星

Is There a Ninth Planet in Our Solar System? 科学家称发现太阳系新行星

Scientists said they have found evidence of a giant planet far out in our solar system.

In a statement, the California Institute of Technology – Caltech -- said this planet travels a strange “highly elongated¹ orbit in the distant solar system.”

The discovery was made by two researchers at Caltech: Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown.  They used mathematical modeling and computer simulations to find the planet.

So far, there have not been any direct observations of the planet. 

“My jaw² hit the floor,” said astronomer³ Mike Brown, the moment he realized there might be a ninth planet.

The scientists said it would take this planet 10,000 to 20,000 years just to make one full orbit around the sun. The new planet, called “Planet Nine” has a mass about 10 times the size of Earth. 

If they are right, the newly found planet would be the ninth planet in our solar system.  Pluto had been called the ninth planet until 2006, when it was renamed a “dwarf planet.”

Actual confirmation⁴ of a ninth planet would be very big news.

“This would be a real ninth planet,” Brown said in the statement. “There have only been two true planets discovered since ancient times, and this would be a third. It’s a pretty substantial chunk⁵ of our solar system that’s still out there to be found, which is pretty exciting.”

It is believed that the planet orbits, or travels, around the sun from a great distance. The planet Neptune’s average distance to the sun is about 4.5 billion kilometers.  But “Planet Nine,” could be 20 times farther away from the sun than that.

While they did not get a picture of “Planet Nine” yet, the scientists say they are using the biggest—and best -- telescopes on Earth to try to find “Planet Nine.”

They are also working on fine-tuning their computer simulations.  They want to find out more about “Planet Nine’s” orbit, and its impact on the outer part of our solar system. 

Brown and Batygin reported their findings in the Astronomical⁶ Journal. They say that this new planet is so large that there should be no doubt that it is a true planet, once they confirm it.

Robert Massey is with the Royal Astronomical Society in London.  He told AFP that planets have been predicted before, and then were not found.

But, he said the work of these researchers is definitely worth following up.

“It would be a really exciting thing to find. At the moment it’s simply a prediction.”

Words in This Story

solar system –n. our sun and the planets that move around it

elongated –adj. stretched out

orbit –n. path of one body as it moves around another

simulation –n. something made to  look or behave like something else so it can be studied

fine-tuning –v. to make small changes to improve the way something works

1 elongated   

v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Modigliani's women have strangely elongated faces. 莫迪里阿尼画中的妇女都长着奇长无比的脸。
• A piece of rubber can be elongated by streching. 一块橡皮可以拉长。 来自《用法词典》

2 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

3 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

4 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

5 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

6 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。