新的研究表明，9號(hào)行星可能已經(jīng)被發(fā)現(xiàn)

新的研究表明，9號(hào)行星可能已經(jīng)被發(fā)現(xiàn)

Since its launch in April 2018, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has found a number of exoplanets, including a so-called “missing link” and an exoplanet with three suns. But a new study suggests the $200 million satellite may have also discovered the mysterious Planet 9.

自2018年4月發(fā)射以來(lái)，美國(guó)航天局的凌日系外行星測(cè)量衛(wèi)星(TESS)已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多系外行星，其中包括一個(gè)所謂的“缺失環(huán)”和一個(gè)有三個(gè)太陽(yáng)的系外行星。但一項(xiàng)新的研究表明，這顆耗資2億美元的衛(wèi)星可能也發(fā)現(xiàn)了這顆神秘的9號(hào)行星。

The research, published in Research Notes of the AAS, notes that TESS is able to take multiple images of the same spot in space, potentially locating trans-Neptunian objects, also known as TNOs.

這項(xiàng)研究發(fā)表在《美國(guó)天文學(xué)會(huì)研究紀(jì)要》(research Notes of The AAS)上。該研究指出，TESS能夠在太空中對(duì)同一地點(diǎn)拍攝多張照片，可能定位外海王星天體(trans-Neptunian objects，也稱TNOs)。

Since TESS is able to detect objects at approximately 5 pixel displacement and Planet Nine “has an expected magnitude of 19 < V < 24,” the possibility is raised “that TESS could discover it!” the authors wrote in the study.

因?yàn)門ESS能夠探測(cè)到大約5像素位移的物體，而行星9“的預(yù)期星等是19 < V < 24”，所以“TESS能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)它”的可能性就增加了!作者在研究中寫道。

“What TESS is doing is staring at regions in the sky for months for at a time,” the study’s lead author, Harvard University astrophysicist Matt Holman, said in an interview with Fox News. “It’s looking for exoplanets and you can find those by looking at the paths of the host stars.”

該研究的主要作者、哈佛大學(xué)天體物理學(xué)家馬特·霍爾曼(Matt Holman)在接受?？怂剐侣?Fox News)采訪時(shí)表示:“苔絲所做的就是一次盯著天空幾個(gè)月。”“它在尋找系外行星，你可以通過(guò)觀察主恒星的路徑來(lái)找到這些行星。”

According to SyFy Wire, Planet 9 could have a near-infrared magnitude between 19 and 24, making it possible that TESS may have already observed it.

據(jù)SyFy Wire報(bào)道，9號(hào)行星的近紅外星等可能在19到24之間，這使得TESS有可能已經(jīng)觀測(cè)到了它。

Holman noted that TESS has already looked at the entire southern hemisphere, making the chances “nearly 100 percent” that Planet 9 has already been observed if it’s in that part of the sky. “If it’s in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re not there just yet,” he added.

霍爾曼指出，TESS已經(jīng)觀察了整個(gè)南半球，如果9號(hào)行星在天空的那一部分，那么“幾乎100%的可能性”已經(jīng)被觀測(cè)到。“如果是在北半球，我們還沒有到那里，”他補(bǔ)充說(shuō)。

TESS, which launched in April 2018, replaced the Kepler telescope, which started to malfunction toward the latter part of last year and was eventually retired in October 2018 after discovering more than 2,600 exoplanets, including 18 Earth-sized exoplanets.

TESS于2018年4月發(fā)射升空，取代了開普勒望遠(yuǎn)鏡，開普勒望遠(yuǎn)鏡在去年下半年開始出現(xiàn)故障，在發(fā)現(xiàn)2600多顆系外行星(包括18顆地球大小的系外行星)后，最終于2018年10月退役。

In September 2018, TESS found its first exoplanet. Seven months later, in April 2019, it found its first Earth-sized planet.

2018年9月，TESS發(fā)現(xiàn)了它的第一顆系外行星。七個(gè)月后的2019年4月，它發(fā)現(xiàn)了第一顆地球大小的行星。