探索發現:科學家發現奇特系外"鑽石"行星羣
An exoplanet, called WASP-12b which is about 1,200 light years from Earth and 1.4 times the mass of Jupiter has been considered suitable for life existence, although a little hot. And its sibling planets could even be made of diamonds, according to new research findings.
最新研究結果顯示，一顆名爲WASP-12b、距離地球1200光年、質量爲木星1.4倍的系外行星適合生命存在，儘管熱了一點。而與其同屬一個星系的情況更甚：它們有可能由鑽石構成。
A team led by researcher Nikku Madhusudhan of Princeton University and scientist Joe Harrington of the University of Central Florida monitor WASP-12b during one of its orbits, particularly in the instants before it passed behind its home star. In those brief moments, the light from the star would flow through the planet's atmosphere, allowing astronomers to study the wavelengths produced and infer the atmosphere's chemical composition.
由美國普林斯頓大學的研究員尼庫 馬杜蘇丹和佛羅里達中部大學的科學家喬 哈林頓領導的一個研究小組檢測WASP-12b的一次繞軌運行情況，特別是在它從其母恆星後面經過的那一刻。在這一剎那，恆星發出的光會穿透行星的大氣，天文學家得以研究產生的波長，並推斷行星大氣的化學成分。
They found some exoplanets, WASP-12b included, have carbon-rich chemistry: Some have atmospheres with a carbon-to-oxygen ratio of about 0.5. As for WASP-12b, however, there was more than twice the concentration of carbon as usual and almost 100 times more methane than expected.
他們發現，一些包括WASP-12b在內的系外行星具有碳濃度高的化學特性，即它們大氣中的碳氧比率約爲0.5。不過，WASP-12b的碳濃度要比通常情況高出一倍多，而且甲烷的濃度幾乎是預計的100倍。
That has big implications for extraterrestrial biology, since life is based on carbon, and methane - which is made up of carbon and hydrogen - is a byproduct of metabolism. The planet's carbon-heavy atmosphere could retain heat and light, providing energy for life to get started and thrive. That life would have to survive on comparatively little oxygen and water, and would have to be very tolerant of methane.
這對於地外生命學來說意義重大。因爲生命建立在碳的基礎上，而由碳和氫構成的甲烷是新陳代謝的副產品。大氣中高濃度的碳可以留住光和熱，爲生命的出現和茁壯成長提供能量。這些生命要再氧氣和水相對較少的環境下生存，而且要能夠忍受甲烷。
As for some of the planets formed along with WASP-12b, they could easily be smaller, with rocky formations made not of silica, like Earth's, but of graphite or - given enough time and enough pressure - precious diamonds.
而和WASP-12b一起形成的另外一些行星很可能體積更小，岩層不像地球那樣由硅石構成，而是由石墨或者——如果有充足的時間和壓力——鑽石這樣的珍貴材料構成。
