Researchers find "lonely planets"
英语课
BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists have discovered a Jupiter-sized exoplanet that is completely unbound from a host star, according the scientific journal "Nature" published Thursday.
The research was conducted by astrophysicists from Osaka University in Japan.
Using the technique called "gravitational(重力的) microlensing", scientists turned their telescopes towards the centre of the Milky 1 Way and detected this "lonely planet" moving in a extremely large orbit, which suggested it does not connect to any solar system.
Then they estimated the total number of such wondering planets could be as many as 400 billion, based on the detection efficiency. This number far outnumbers the main-sequence stars such as our Sun.
"This is an amazing result, and if it is right, the implications for planet formation are profound," says astronomer 2 Debra Fischer at Yale University in New Haven 3, Connecticut.
And scientist began to consider the possibility that liquid water could exist on this kind of unbound planets. "That might be an attractive possibility for life," said David Stevenson, a planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)
adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的
- Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
- I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。
n.天文学家
- A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
- He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。
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planet