经济学人: 开普勒 R.I.P (2)

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　　Kepler was designed to stare fixedly² at a single patch of sky in the constellation³ of Cygnus, observing around 150,000 stars simultaneously⁴. 开普勒的设计目标是固定监控天鹅座星群中天空的一小块地方，同时观察约150000颗恒星。

　　The consequential⁵ torrent⁶ of data can be used to draw statistical⁷ conclusions about the rest of the galaxy⁸. 利用间接传输的数据流可得出关于星系剩余部分的统计结论。

　　It seems likely that every one of the Milky⁹ Way's hundreds of billions of stars sports at least one planet. 似乎有可能银河数千亿颗恒星中的每一颗都至少在一个行星中嬉戏。

　　Many of these are of a type unknown in the solar system. 其中很多都是太阳系中未知的类型。

　　The most common in Kepler's data are "super-Earths"—rocky worlds intermediate in size between Earth and Neptune¹⁰. 开普勒数据中最常见的是“超级类地行星”—大小介于地球和海王星之间的多岩世界。

　　Kepler also helped prove that "hot Jupiters" are common. These are gas giants which orbit implausibly close to their stars. 开普勒还帮助证实了“热木星”的普遍性。它们是气体巨星，围绕距离它们非常之近的恒星轨道而行

　　Theorists, who would previously¹¹ have argued that such planets were impossible, 之前认为这些行星不可能存在的理论学家

　　are still debating whether they are able to form in situ or whether they coalesce¹² farther out in their stellar systems and then migrate inward, 仍争辩它们是否能够在原地形成或是它们是否是在更远处的恒星系统中合成，然后再向内部移动，

　　knocking other planets into deep space as they do so in a game of planetary billiards¹³. 与其他行星相撞进入更深处的太空，就像在行星台球游戏中一样。

　　Kepler's biggest quarry¹⁴ was Earthlike planets at just the right distance around their stars for liquid water to exist on their surfaces. 开普勒的最大猎物群是类地行星，它们与其恒星距离适当，这样液态水才能在它们的表面存在。

　　Several have turned up, but the search became harder in 2013, by which time two of the four gyroscopes that kept the telescope stable had broken. 已经找到了几个类地行星，但在2013年搜寻任务变得更加艰难，那时四个维持望远镜稳定的陀螺仪中，有两个已经损坏。

　　Kepler's engineers came up with an ingenious fix, relying on the radiation pressure exerted by sunlight to re-steady the craft. 开普勒的工程师想出了一个独创性的修补方法，依靠太阳外露的辐射压力重新稳定航空器。

　　With its fuel depleted¹⁵, no technological¹⁶ rescue is possible this time. But nothing succeeds like success. Exoplanets are now the hottest topic in astronomy. 随着其燃料的耗尽，这一次再也没有可能的技术补救方法了。但是一事成功百事顺。现在外星行星是天文学界最热话题。

　　The Transiting¹⁷ Exoplanet Survey Satellite, launched in April, is a Kepler-like mission designed to look for exoplanets in Earth's immediate¹⁸ neighbourhood. 凌日系外行星勘测卫星于4月发射。它是一个开普勒类似的望远镜，其目的是为了寻找地球附近的外星行星。

　　These might be amenable¹⁹ to detailed²⁰ follow-ups from other, more powerful telescopes. 这些或许能够经得起来自望远镜后起之秀的详细的后续行动的考验。

　　In theory, it should be possible to sniff²¹ the air of such neighbours for signs of life, or even make rough maps of their surfaces. 理论上，它应该能够嗅到附近生命体征的存在，甚至还能对它们的表面进行粗略的绘制。

　　Two similar European missions are scheduled to launch in 2019 and 2026. Exoplanetology is just getting started. 两个类似的欧洲望远镜计划于2019年和2026年发射。系外行星学刚刚起步。

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