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Is there new life in outer space?
人類或發現宜居星球
If you watched the film Avatar, you may wonder if Earth is the only habitable planet in the universe. Given the large number of the galaxies, many scientists hold the belief that there is certainly extra-terrestrial life. But it seems we are having trouble finding them.
如果你看過電影《阿凡達》，你或許會想知道地球是否是宇宙中唯一一顆宜居星球。由于宇宙中星系數量眾多，許多科學家都認為一定有地外生命存在。但我們似乎難以找到他們。
In August, NASA announced the discovery of a possible Earth-like planet. Located 31 light years away, it could support life.
今年8月，美國航空航天局宣布發現一顆可能與地球類似的行星。它距離地球31光年，可能擁有生命可以生存的環境。
"I think it's an amazing discovery," said Lisa Kaltenegger from the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell in the US. "We have Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite or TESS for short that's scanning the whole sky, where the brightest and closest objects are, to find planets like ours and this is the first one."
“我認為這是項驚人的發現，”來自美國康奈爾卡爾薩根研究所的麗莎·卡頓內格表示。“我們使用了凌日系外行星勘測衛星（簡稱‘苔絲’）掃描了整個天空，在亮度最大和距離最近的天體中尋找和地球類似的星球，這顆星球是我們發現的首例。”
The planet, named GJ 357 d, is believed to be around twice the size of Earth and have six times Earth's mass.
這個名為GJ 357 d的行星被認為約有地球的兩倍大，質量是地球的6倍。
According to the New York Post, it "is located within the outer edge of its star's habitable zone, where it receives about the same amount of stellar energy from its star as Mars does from the sun". Specifically, it is about 18°C below zero.
據《紐約郵報》報道，這顆行星“位于其所在恒星系的宜居帶外緣，所接收到的恒星能量與火星從太陽接收到的能量相當”。具體而言，其表面溫度約為零下18攝氏度。
You may think that this is too low for human habitation.
你或許會認為這樣的溫度對于人類生存而言太低了。
But according to CNN, if it has a thick atmosphere, the planet could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface.
但據美國有線電視新聞網報道，如果該行星擁有致密的大氣層，就能捕獲足夠熱量使氣溫升高，并允許液態水的存在。
Within the next six years, people will be able to experience the next generation of space probes, promising a far more detailed view of other planets, including their terrain and weather systems.
在接下來的6年內，人們將有能力進行新一代的空間探索，提供其他星球更為詳細的視圖，包括它們的地形以及天氣系統等等。
If it indeed does have a thick enough atmosphere, "GJ 357 d would be at the top of everyone's travel list and we could answer a 1,000-year-old question on whether we are alone in space," CNN reported.
據美國有線電視新聞網報道，如果該星球確實擁有足夠致密的大氣層，“GJ 357 d將會成為每個人旅行的首選目的地，我們也能回答這個千年之問：宇宙中是否還有其他生命存在？”
