Astronomers have searched for years for rocky planets outside our solar system. They have finally found one with an atmosphere.
天文学家多年来一直在寻找太阳系外的岩石行星。他们终于找到了一颗有大气层的岩石行星。
Scientists believe that a rocky planet with an atmosphere is key to sustaining life. But the planet that astronomers found offers no hope for life. Its surface is made up of molten rock.
科学家们认为，有大气层的岩石行星是维持生命的关键。但天文学家发现的这颗行星并没有生命存在的希望。它的表面是由熔岩组成的。
Researchers recently called the planet a "super-Earth." It is a rocky world much larger than our planet but smaller than the gas giant in our solar system, Neptune.
研究人员最近将这颗行星称为“超级地球”。它是一颗多岩石的星球，比我们的行星大得多，但要小于我们太阳系中的气态巨星海王星。
The planet orbits extremely close to its star. The star is less bright and smaller than our own.
这颗行星的轨道离它的恒星非常近。这颗恒星没有太阳明亮，也比太阳小。
Observations using two devices aboard the James Webb Space Telescope suggest there is an atmosphere. But the atmosphere may not be able to support life. It could be continuously filled up by gases that large areas of molten rock release.
使用詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜上的两个装置进行的观测表明这颗星球存在大气层。但这里的大气层可能无法支撑生命。它可能被大面积熔岩释放的气体不断填满。
Renyu Hu is a planetary scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology. He was the lead writer of the study, which appeared recently in the publication Nature.
胡任宇是美国宇航局喷气推进实验室和加州理工学院的行星科学家。他是这项研究的主要作者，该研究最近发表在《自然》杂志上。
Hu said, "The atmosphere is likely rich in carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, but can also have other gases such as water vapor and sulfur dioxide." He added that current observations cannot tell what the exact atmospheric makeup is.
胡任宇说：“大气层中可能富含二氧化碳或一氧化碳，但也可能含有水蒸气和二氧化硫等其他气体。”他补充说，目前的观测无法确定大气层的确切组成。
The Webb data also did not make clear the thickness of the atmosphere. Hu said it could be as thick as Earth's or even thicker than that of Venus. Venus has a toxic atmosphere that is the densest in our solar system.
韦伯望远镜的数据也没有明确大气层的厚度。胡任宇说，它可能和地球大气层一样厚，甚至比金星还厚。金星的有毒大气层是太阳系中最浓密的。
The planet is called 55 Cancri e. Scientists also call it Janssen. It is about 8.8 times more massive than Earth and about two times as wide.
这颗行星被称为55 Cancrie。科学家们也称它为Janssen。它的质量是地球的8.8倍，直径约是地球的两倍。
It orbits its star at one-25th the distance between our solar system's innermost planet Mercury and the sun. As a result, its surface temperature is about 1,725 degrees Celsius.
它绕恒星运行的距离是太阳系最内层行星水星与太阳距离的25分之一。因此，它的表面温度约为1725摄氏度。
One side of the planet probably always faces its star. Four other planets, all gas giants, are known to orbit the same star. The planet is found in our Milky Way galaxy, about 41 light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, or 9.5 trillion kilometers.
这颗行星的一侧可能总是面向它的恒星。已知有其它四颗都是气态巨星的行星围绕着同一颗恒星运行。这颗行星位于我们的银河系中，距离地球约41光年。一光年是光在一年中传播的距离，即9.5万亿公里。
The planet's star is gravitationally tied to another star in the system. Having two stars in the same system is called a binary system.
这颗行星的恒星通过引力与系统中的另一颗恒星相连。在同一系统中有两颗恒星被称为双星系统。
The other star is a red dwarf, the smallest kind of an ordinary star. The distance between these two stars is 1,000 times the distance between Earth and the sun. Light from one star takes six days to reach the other star.
另一颗恒星是红矮星，是普通恒星中最小的一种。这两颗恒星之间的距离是地球和太阳之间距离的1000倍。一颗恒星发出的光到达另一颗恒星需要六天时间。
Although the rocky planet does appear to have an atmosphere, scientists say it probably should not even have one. Being so close to its star, any atmosphere should be taken away by the effects of the star.
尽管这颗岩石行星看起来确实有大气层，但科学家们表示，它可能甚至不应该有大气层。由于离恒星如此之近，任何大气层都应该受恒星影响所带走。
But gases dissolved in the planet's large ocean of molten rock may continue to fill up the atmosphere, Hu said.
但胡仁宇说，溶解在这颗行星广阔的熔岩海洋中的气体可能会不断补充大气层。
"The planet cannot be habitable," Hu added. That is because it is too hot to have liquid water, which is also considered necessary for life.
胡仁宇补充说：“这颗行星不适合居住。”这是因为它太热以至于没有液态水，而液态水也被认为是生命所必需的。
Scientists have found other planets with an atmosphere outside our solar system. But they have all been gaseous planets, not rocky ones.
科学家们发现了其它太阳系外有大气层的行星。但它们都是气态行星，而不是岩石行星。
As the James Webb telescope pushes the limits of space exploration, the discovery of a rocky planet with an atmosphere is a sign of progress.
随着韦伯突破太空探索的极限，发现具有大气层的岩石行星代表着进展。
On Earth, the atmosphere warms the planet. It contains the oxygen people breathe and protects against the effects of the sun. It also creates the pressure needed for liquid water to remain on the planet's surface.
在地球上，大气层使地球变暖。它含有人们呼吸的氧气，可以抵御阳光辐射。它还产生了液态水留在地球表面所需的压力。
Brice-Olivier Demory is a scientist at Switzerland's University of Bern's Center for Space and Habitability. He helped write the new study. He said, "On Earth, atmosphere is key for life." He added that the findings create hope that the Webb telescope may one day find cooler planets that could support liquid water on their surface.
布莱斯·奥利维尔·德莫里是瑞士伯尔尼大学空间与宜居性研究中心的科学家。他帮助撰写了这项新研究。他说：“在地球上，大气层是生命的关键。”他补充说，这些发现为韦伯望远镜有朝一日可能找到表面能够存在液态水、温度更低的行星带来了希望。
"But," he said, "we are not there yet."
他说，“但是，我们还没有达到目标。”
I'm Gregory Stachel.
我是格雷戈里·斯塔切尔。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)