【明報專訊】NASA (美國太空總署) is closer than ever to finding a twin for the Earth. Astronomers have announced the discovery of eight new planets that circle the habitable zones of their stars.
It has been reported that two of the eight planets are the most Earth-like of any known planets found so far outside our solar system. The pair are likely to have hard and rocky surfaces like the Earth. The distance between the planets and the host stars is just right, which is neither too hot nor too cold for water and possibly life to exist.
The great discovery has been made with the help of NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission (NASA開普勒覓星計劃). NASA's Kepler Space Telescope (開普勒天文望遠鏡) has scoured more than 145,000 stars for planets beyond our solar system since its launch in 2009.
"We are now closer than we have ever been to finding a twin for the Earth around another star," said Fergal Mullally of the NASA Kepler Science Office.
(source: Ming Pao, Agence France Presse)
■Quiz
Choose the correct answer.
1. What is NASA?
a. a telescope
b. an organisation
c. a planet
2. In paragraph 2, "the pair" refers to:
a. the Earth and the Sun
b. two of the eight planets
c. two astronomers
3. Which of the following is about "neither too hot nor too cold for water" in paragraph 2?
a. that water evaporates if temperature is high.
b. that water freezes if temperature is low.
c. both of the above.
4. Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?
a. A new planet which is exactly the same as the Earth has been found.
b. Human beings can move to the newly discover planets.
c. Astronomers have found planets very similar to the Earth.
■Words
planet 行星
habitable zone 宜居帶
star 恒星
solar system 太陽系
■Glossary
astronomer (n) 天文學家
rocky (adj) 多岩石的
surface (n) 表面
scour (v) (徹底地)搜查
