Scientists discover ‘habitable’ new planet 11 light-years from Earth

　　科学家在距离地球11光年外发现了“宜居”新行星

　　An Earth-sized planet has been discovered only 11 light-years away from the Solar System- and it could be inhabitable.

　　科学家在距离太阳系仅11光年外发现了一颗大小近似于地球的、并且可能适合人类居住的星球。

　　Scientists in Chile found the planet orbiting Ross 128, a red dwarf star, which is among the coolest stars in the universe.

　　智利科学家发现了一颗围绕红矮星“罗斯128”（宇宙中温度最低的恒星之一）旋转的行星。

　　The planet, known as Ross 128 b, has a surface temperature that may be close to that of Earth, meaning it has the potential to sustain life. It is also expected to become Earth’s closest stellar neighbour in just under 80,000 years as Ross 128 moves towards our planet.

　　科学家将这颗行星命名为“罗斯128b”，其表面温度可能接近于地球，这就意味着它可能适宜生命生存。“罗斯128”目前正在朝着地球方向运动，在8万年内，它将有望成为距离地球最近的星际邻居。

　　Scientists at the La Silla Observatory in Chile scoured the sky using the European Southern Observatory’s large planet-searching telescope for more than a decade in mission to find the new planet.

　　智利拉斯拉天文台的科学家们使用欧洲南方天文台的大型行星搜寻望远镜对天空持续进行了十多年的搜索，最终发现了这颗新行星。

　　They discovered the star Ross 128, which is orbited by a low mass exoplanet - a planet outside of our solar system that orbits a star. The planet has a temperate climate that makes it ideal for supporting life.

　　科学家们在搜索中发现了恒星“罗斯128”，一颗质量较小的系外行星围绕其运行。这颗行星气候温和，适宜生命生存。

　　Red dwarfs are some of the coolest, faintest and most common stars in the universe. Many red dwarfs, including our nearest-known star to the Sun, Proximi Centauri, are subject to deadly flares that hit their orbiting planets with ultraviolet and X-ray radiation.

　　红矮星是宇宙中最为寒冷、昏暗的恒星，也是最为常见的一种恒星。包括距离太阳最近的比邻星在内的许多红矮星都会激发致命耀斑，这些耀斑会对其轨道行星造成紫外线和X射线的辐射。

　　But the newly-discovered Ross 128 is less prone to flares, allowing its planets to potentially foster life unharmed.

　　但这颗新发现的“罗斯128”并不存在活跃耀斑，这使得它的行星可能会孕育出生命而不受侵害。

　　Data from ESO’s High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) showed that Ross 128 b orbits 20 times closer than the Earth orbits the Sun. However, Ross 128 only receives 1.38 times more irradiation than the Earth. The new planet’s temperate is estimated to lie between -60 and 20 degrees.

　　据欧洲南方天文台的高精度径向速度行星搜索器的数据显示，“罗斯128b”的轨道要比日地轨道近20倍，但“罗斯128b”所受到的辐射仅比地球多1.38倍。据估计，这颗新行星的温度在-60℃至20℃之间。

　　Although it is currently 11 light-years from Earth, Ross 128 is moving towards the Solar System and researchers expect it will become our nearest stellar neighbour in just 79,000 years.

　　Ross 128 will then overtake Proxima, which is around 4.25 light-years from the Sun, as the closest neighbour to Earth.

　　尽管“罗斯128”目前距离地球11光年，但它正在朝着太阳系运动，科学家预计它将在7.9万年内成为距离我们最近的星际邻居。届时，“罗斯128”将取代距太阳约4.25光年的比邻星，成为距离地球最近的邻居。

　　While scientists consider Ross 128 b to be a temperate planet, they remain unsure as to whether liquid water exists on the planet’s surface. Water would make the planet habitable.

　　虽然科学家认为“罗斯128b”是一颗宜居行星，但他们并不确定该行星表面是否存在液态水。而水是决定行星是否宜居的关键条件。

　　(全文共361个词)

　　重难点词汇：

　　faintest  adj. 一点也不的；极小的

　　radiation  n. 辐射；放射物

　　prone  adj. 俯卧的；有…倾向的，易于…的

　　irradiation  n. 照射；发光，放射