NASA scientists have discovered at least seven Earth-sized planets, each potentially capable of hosting life, orbiting a nearby star just outside the solar system.

 

美国宇航局的科学家们发现，至少有七颗地球大小的行星围绕着太阳系外的一颗临近恒星运行，每颗行星都可能适宜生命体生存。
 

 

The exciting discovery announced Wednesday has been deemed one of the first realistic opportunities to begin a search for alien life outside our system as well as the first time so many planets were discovered circling the same star.

 

"This discovery could be a significant piece in the puzzle of finding habitable environments, places that are conducive¹ to life. Answering the question 'are we alone' is a top science priority and finding so many planets like these for the first time in the habitable zone is a remarkable² step forward toward that goal," associate administrator³ of the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington Thomas Zurbuchen said in a press release.

 

The cluster of planets orbit a dim dwarf⁴ star, just barely the size of Jupiter, called Trappist-1. The group of planets are about 40 light years away which isn't actually all that far away from Earth. The close proximity⁵ will allow the system to be studied in great detail, according to the release.

点击收听单词发音