【VOA慢速】在类木星系外行星上发现“臭鸡蛋”气体的证据

Scientists say they have found evidence that the smelly molecule hydrogen sulfide exists in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like planet.

科学家们表示，他们已经找到了证据可以证明在一颗类似木星的行星的大气层中存在着有臭味的硫化氢分子。

Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound that gives rotten eggs their bad smell.

硫化氢是一种化合物，它使臭鸡蛋散发出难闻的气味。

The planet is called HD 189733b. It is an exoplanet, a term used to describe planets that exist outside of our own solar system.

这颗行星被称为HD189733b。它是一颗系外行星，这个术语用于描述存在于我们太阳系之外的行星。

It was discovered in 2005.

HD189733b是在2005年被发现的。

Scientists had already identified similarities between HD 189733b and Jupiter, the oldest and largest planet in our solar system.

科学家们已经发现了其与木星之间的相似之处，木星是我们太阳系中最古老、最大的行星。

But the exoplanet was previously not thought to hold hydrogen sulfide.

但是，这颗系外行星此前被认为并不存在硫化氢。

Astronomers who study this gas giant have said it is deep blue in color and that severe conditions exist in the atmosphere. It has winds that can blow up to two kilometers per second.

研究这颗气态巨行星的天文学家表示，它的颜色是深蓝色的，大气条件恶劣，风速可达每秒两千米。

The exoplanet is believed to reach temperatures up to 930 degrees Celsius on the side facing the star that it orbits.

这颗系外行星被认为在其环绕的恒星一侧达到高达930摄氏度的温度。

Scientists also say it rains glass, which can be blown by fierce winds.

科学家们还表示，该行星会下玻璃雨，雨水会被狂风席卷。

The weather on HD 189733b is so extreme, the American space agency NASA once described the planet as a "nightmare world."

HD189733b上的天气非常极端，美国航天局NASA曾将这颗行星描述为“噩梦世界”。

New observations by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope suggest that this is the first exoplanet where hydrogen sulfide has been identified.

美国航天局（NASA）的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜的新观测结果表明，这是首次在系外行星上发现硫化氢。

Scientists say the discovery has helped give them a better understanding of this stormy world.

科学家们表示，这一发现有助于他们更好地了解这个暴风雨的世界。

The finding was recently explained in a study appearing in the publication Nature.

近期发表于《自然》杂志的一项研究中对此作出了解释。

One of the leaders of the research was astrophysicist Guangwei Fu of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

该研究的领导者之一是马里兰州约翰霍普金斯大学的天体物理学家傅广伟。

He told Reuters, "This is not a planet we humans want to visit, but a valuable target for furthering our understanding of planetary science."

他告诉路透社，“这不是我们人类会想访问的行星，而是一个有价值的目标，可以增进我们对行星科学的理解。”

Fu said HD 189733b is known as a "hot Jupiter" planet.

傅说HD189733b被称为“热木星”行星。

However, it orbits 170 times closer to its star than Jupiter does to the sun. It completes one orbit every two days. Jupiter takes about 12 years to orbit the sun.

然而，它的轨道距离其恒星比木星距离太阳近170倍，每两天完成一次轨道运行。木星绕太阳公转则大约需要12年。

Fu noted that hot Jupiters are not found often.

傅指出，热木星并不常见。

"About less than one in 100 star systems have them," he said.

他说："大约每 100 个恒星系统中只有不到一个有热木星。"

Fu said he thinks the newly discovered "stinky smell" just adds another interesting element to what is already known about the planet.

傅还提到，他认为新发现的“臭味”只是为我们对这颗行星的已知情况增添了另一个有趣的元素。

It is 64 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Vulpecula.

它距离地球64光年，位于狐狸座。

A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, about 9.5 trillion kilometers.

一光年是光在一年中传播的距离，约为9.5万亿公里。

It is closer to Earth than many exoplanets.

它比许多系外行星更接近地球。

This makes it "bright and easy for detailed studies," Fu said.

傅说，这使得它“明亮且易于进行详细研究”。

He noted, for example, that hydrogen sulfide would have been much harder to find on planets that are further away.

他指出，例如，在更远的行星上，硫化氢会更难被发现。

The Webb telescope – which became operational in 2022 – is able to observe a wider range of radiation wavelengths than earlier telescopes.

韦伯望远镜于2022年开始运行，它能够观测到比早期望远镜更广泛的辐射波长。

This permits more detailed examinations of exoplanet atmospheres.

这使得对系外行星大气层的更详细检查成为可能。

"Our research finds that HD 189733b is more similar to Jupiter than previously known," said Arizona State University astrophysicist Luis Welbanks. He was a member of the research team.

“我们的研究发现，HD189733b比以前所知的更类似于木星，”亚利桑那州立大学天体物理学家路易斯·韦尔班克斯谈到。他也是该研究团队的一员。

"This planet is very much like Jupiter, but just hotter."

“这颗行星非常像木星，只是更热一些。"

Jupiter, too, has small amounts of hydrogen sulfide in its atmosphere.

木星的大气层中也有少量的硫化氢。

But the exoplanet is about 10 percent larger than Jupiter in diameter and mass.

但是这颗系外行星的直径和质量都比木星大10%左右。

The Webb observations also confirmed earlier evidence showing the exoplanet has water and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.

韦伯望远镜的观测结果也证实了早期的证据，表明这颗系外行星的大气层中存在水和二氧化碳。

"With these three molecules, we are able to count the amount of oxygen, carbon and sulfur the planet has," Welbanks said.

“有了这三种分子，我们就能够计算出行星上氧气、碳和硫的含量，”韦尔班克斯表示。

That information, he added, gives scientists a chance to learn more about how the planet may have formed.

他补充说，这些信息让科学家有机会更多地了解这颗行星可能是如何形成的。

It should also provide data on whether it is different from planets in our solar system.

它还可以提出证据来说明它是否不同于我们太阳系中的行星。

Welbanks said the scientists are clearly not searching for life on such a hot, harsh planet.

韦尔班克斯说，科学家们显然不是在这样一个炎热、恶劣的星球上寻找生命。

However, he noted that understanding its atmosphere permits them to "understand how physics and chemistry behave under different environments and to begin to put together the 'recipe' for forming planets."

然而，他指出，了解其大气层使他们能够“了解物理和化学在不同环境下的行为，并开始拼凑形成行星的‘配方’”。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

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