天王星：如果我闻起来像臭鸡蛋，你还会爱我吗？
据外媒报道，无色气体硫化氢是一种易燃无色气体，它具有一定的腐蚀性且闻起来像臭鸡蛋味。而根据最新的一项研究显示，这种化合物很有可能是构成天王星高层大气的主要物质。研究人员发现了硫化氢在这颗星球大气的证据并提供了更为清晰的图像。
相关研究报告已发表在了《自然》杂志上。研究人员指出，目前还没有人能确定天王星云顶的构成，但它被认为是主要由硫化氢或氨气形成。
BBC报道指出，位于夏威夷莫纳克亚山的Gemini North望远镜的近红外积分场光谱仪在整个研究过程中起到了非常大的帮助，它让科学家们能够进一步看清天王星云层的组成“指纹”。
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Rotten egg gas around planet Uranus
The planet Uranus has clouds made up of hydrogen sulphide[H₂S硫化氢], the gas that gives rotten eggs their unpleasant smell.
The possibility of this gas being present in the atmosphere of the seventh planet had long been debated, but has now been confirmed for the first time by observations at a telescope on Hawaii.
The malodorous[1] gas was detected high above the giant planet's cloud tops[云顶].
[1]malodorous: Something that is malodorous has an unpleasant smell. 恶臭的
...tons of malodorous rubbish bags.
…散发恶臭的数吨垃圾袋。
The findings could shed important new light on[2] how the outer planets formed.
[2]shed light on: 亦作cast/ throw light on, 英文解释为“Something or someone that casts/sheds/throws light on a situationprovides an explanation for it or information that makes it easier tounderstand.”为…提供解释；使…较容易理解
As an economist, he was able to shed some light on the problem.
作为经济学家，他能解释这个问题。
A team of researchers have published their results in the journal Nature Astronomy[3].
[3]《自然-天文》杂志是一份于2017年1月由Springer Nature出版新创办的期刊。作为《自然》杂志的子刊，我们将致力于在天文学、天体物理学和行星科学领域发表高影响力的研究成果。
Despite previous observations by ground telescopes and the Voyager 2 spacecraft, the composition of Uranus' atmosphere had remained unclear.
Scientists have long wondered whether hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) or ammonia (NH₃) dominate[4] the ice giant's cloud deck[云盖], but have lacked definitive evidence either way.
[4]dominate: V-T/V-I To dominate a situation means to be the most powerful or important person or thing in it. 占据支配地位
The book is expected to dominate the best-seller lists.
这本书预期将占据畅销书榜首的位置。
...countries where life is dominated by war.
…饱受战乱的国家。
The data were obtained with the Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS)[近红外积分场光谱仪] instrument on the Gemini North telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea summit.
The spectroscopic[光谱学的；分光镜的] measurements break infrared light[红外光] from Uranus into its component wavelengths. Bands[光带；谱带] in the resulting spectrum known as absorption lines[吸收谱线], where the gas absorbs infrared light coming from the Sun, allowed the scientists to "fingerprint"[5] components of Uranus' atmosphere.
[5]fingerprint: If someone is fingerprinted, the police take their fingerprints. 提取指纹
He took her to jail, where she was fingerprinted and booked.
他将她带到监狱，她在那里被提取了指纹并登记在册。
"Now, thanks to improved hydrogen sulphide absorption-line data and the wonderful Gemini spectra, we have the fingerprint which caught the culprit[6]," said co-author Patrick Irwin, from the University of Oxford.
[6]culprit
1) N-COUNT When you are talking about a crime or something wrong that has been done, you can refer to the person who did it as the culprit. 犯罪者; 犯错者
All the men were being deported even though the real culprits in the fight have not been identified.
尽管那次斗殴事件的真凶未被确认，但那些男人都在被驱逐出境。
2) N-COUNT When you are talking about a problem or bad situation, you can refer to its cause as the culprit. (造成问题或麻烦的) 原因
About 10% of Japanese teenagers are overweight. Nutritionists say the main culprit is increasing reliance on Western fast food.
约10%的日本青少年都超重。营养学家们称主要的原因是他们越来越依赖西方快餐。
The detection of hydrogen sulphide high in Uranus' cloud deck, sets up a contrast with inner gas giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. The bulk of Jupiter and Saturn's upper clouds are instead comprised of ammonia ice[氨冰].
The researchers say these differences in atmospheric composition shed light on questions about the planets' formation and history.
Co-author Dr Leigh Fletcher, from the University of Leicester, said that these differences were probably imprinted early on in the history of these worlds.
He explained that the balance between different gases in the atmospheres of these planets was probably determined by the conditions where they formed in the early Solar System.
According to Dr Fletcher, when a cloud deck forms by condensation, it locks away[隐藏；锁住] the cloud-forming gas in a deep internal reservoir, hidden away beneath the levels that we can usually see with our telescopes.
"Only a tiny amount remains above the clouds as a saturated vapour[饱和蒸汽]... and this is why it is so challenging to capture the signatures of ammonia and hydrogen sulphide above cloud decks of Uranus," he said.
"The superior capabilities of Gemini finally gave us that lucky break."
Glenn Orton, of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, who worked on the study, said: "We've strongly suspected that hydrogen sulphide gas was influencing the millimetre spectrum of Uranus for some time, but we were unable to attribute the absorption needed to it uniquely. Now, that part of the puzzle is falling into place as well."
Dr Irwin explained: "If an unfortunate human were ever to descend through Uranus's clouds, they would be met with very unpleasant and odiferous[7] conditions."
[7]odiferous: odoriferous的一个变体，“散发气味的，”可以表示"臭的"，其实更多的时候表示“芳香的”，having or emitting an odour, esp a fragrant one
But he added: "Suffocation and exposure in the negative 200 degrees Celsius atmosphere made of mostly hydrogen, helium[氦], and methane[甲烷] would take its toll[8] long before the smell."
[8]take its toll: If something takes its/a toll, it causes suffering, deaths, or damage. 造成损失（或伤亡、破坏）
The problems of the past few months have taken their toll on her health and there are shadows under her eyes.
过去几个月里的问题影响了她的健康，她眼睛出现了黑眼圈。
The deepening recession has also taken its toll in the south of the country, where unemployment is rife.
日益加剧的经济衰退也严重影响到了该国南部地区，那里的失业率居高不下。
中文来源：资讯中心
英文来源：BBC