Pack your bags, kids!

孩子們！背上行囊！

LET'S GO TO PROXIMA B!

走吧！朝向比鄰星B號（Proxima b）前進！

Hello there soon-to-be Proxima Centurians!

嗨！即將變成百夫長比鄰星人的各位（Proxima Centurians）！

Trace here for DNews.

我是DNews的Trace

A few weeks back we started hearing rumors, really exciting rumors tales of the discovery

在幾周之前我們就聽到一些傳言，像是一些令人興奮的發現新星球

of a planet… and then we freaked out.

的謠言、傳說.....然而我們真的嚇壞了！

Because those rumors are true!

因為這些謠言是真的！

Today, astronomers announced our closest neighbor star, Proxima Centauri, has a rocky planet

今天，天文學家宣布了我們離我們最近的鄰近星球，半人馬座比鄰星（Proxima Centauri），有一顆岩石行星

orbiting in the habitable zone.

在適居帶內運行

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Proxima b!

各位先生、各位女士，榮重介紹比鄰星B號（Proxima b）

The planet is around 30% more massive than Earth and is mind-blowingly close to its star.

這一顆行星較地球大百分之30，而且令人興奮的是它離它繞行的恆星很近

It only takes a little over 11 days for the planet to complete a single orbit -- it's

它公轉一圈只需要花11天多一點點，大概是

95 percent closer to Proxima than we are to our sun. It doesn't burn up because Proxima

比我們離太陽還要再近百分之95。它並沒有因此燃燒殆盡的原因就是半人馬座比鄰星

is a red dwarf star, so it's much cooler and smaller than our sun.

是一個紅矮星，所以相較我們的太陽，小很多也沒有那麼熱

The habitable zone around any star is the distance at which a planet needs to orbit

一顆恆星的適居帶就是一顆行星運行的距離

that’s not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on its surface. As

不會太熱或太冷，以讓液體有辦法留在星球表面

far as we can tell, where there's water there's a possibility for life.

就我們目前所知，只要有水的地方，就有可能有孕育生命的可能性

This is why astrobiologists get excited when they find exoplanets in habitable zones.

這也是為什麼當我們找到位於適居帶的系外行星時，天體生物學家總是那麼地興奮

Just because a planet is in a habitable zone, though, doesn't mean we can live there.

就只是因為一顆位於適居帶的行星，雖然如此，並不代表我們可以在那裏生活

And even though liquid water could exist on Proxima b, that doesn't mean it has any.

而且就算液體水可以在比鄰星B號上存在，並不代表一定液體水存在

On top of that, red dwarf stars like Proxima Centauri emit more intense x-ray flares, and

更重要的是，像半人馬座比鄰星這種的紅矮星會相較我們的太陽釋放

ultraviolet energies than our own sun.

更強的X射線耀斑以及紫外線能量

So, while we probably can't live there, it's exciting because before 1995 we'd never confirmed

所以，儘管我們或許無法在那星球上居住，但是令人興奮的是這是自1995年來第一個確認被找到的

a single exoplanet.

單一系外行星

For all we knew, there were no planets out there…

就我們以前的認知，以前太陽系外是沒有其他行星是......

Much less one RIGHT NEXT DOOR… only four point two light-years away!

就在我們隔壁、非常的近......只要4.2光年的距離

Which is still far, but in astronomical terms that's ludicrously close.

雖然還是很遠，但是在天文學領域來說，這算是不可思議的接近了

So this is exciting for many reasons.

也因此會令人如此的興奮是有許多原因的

First, this Proxima b is the closest exoplanet beyond our solar system. Which is great.

首先，比鄰星B號是我們太陽系之外最近的系外行星。很好

But, the fact that it’s Earth-sized AND orbits inside the habitable zone are both

但是，事實上它不只是像地球一樣的大小，而且還在適居帶內公轉，這兩件事都

amazing!

很令人興奮

Because c'mon.

因為你看呀

INTERSTELLAR MISSION, AM I RIGHT?

這可是星際任務耶！對吧？

There’s currently a lot of excitement for that possibility and plans in place to send

目前令人興奮的是有可能性並搭配適當的計畫來將

spacecraft to other stars, but we need new technology.

太空船發送到其他星球上，但是我們需要更新的科技

Our fastest current spacecraft would take about 80,000 years to get to Proxima Centauri,

用我們目前最快的太空船大概需要花八萬年才有辦法到達半人馬座比鄰星

but if we could go 10-percent the speed of light we'd cut that to 50 years.

但是如果我們再將速度提升到光速的百分之10，我們就只需要50年即可到達

We can't go that fast yet, but now maybe engineers and scientists will be inspired to figure

我們還沒辦法到那麼快，但是或許會有很多工程師和科學家會因此被激勵來

out how to get to this new planet.

研究到底要如何到達這一顆新發現的行星

Especially, if it’s Earth-like when we get there!

尤其在我們到達那裏的時候，如果它真的就像地球一樣的話

But that’s a big IF.

但是這還是個很大的「如果」

Though the media is calling Proxima b an “Earth-like” world, that’s not particularly accurate.

雖然新聞媒體都說比鄰星B號是一個像地球一樣的世界，也不是真的很準確

Just because a world is small and rocky like Earth, and orbits in the habitable zone, doesn’t

只是因為它像地球一樣是顆小小、岩石行星，而且在適居帶內公轉，並不代表

make it an oasis fit for life.

就一定是個適合生命發展的地方

Just look at Mars and Venus; both of those are in our habitable zone and neither are

就看看火星和金星的例子就知道；它們兩顆都是在適居帶內，但是兩個

particularly Earth-like!

都不像地球一樣

I already mentioned the powerful X-ray and ultraviolet radiation that Proxima b is likely

我剛剛有提到強大的X射線和紫外線輻射的問題，此致比鄰星B號很有可能

subject to… not great for biology.

因此對生物發展不利

But also, red dwarfs are known to flare regularly, blasting any planets with radiation.

再者，大家都知道紅矮星固定都會釋放耀斑，對周圍行星構成致命性的強輻射

This means the Proxima b would have to have a thick atmosphere and powerful magnetosphere

這代表了比鄰星B號就需要一個很厚的大氣層以及強大的磁氣圈

to protect it from damaging space weather if life were to flourish.

來保護不受高破壞性的太空天氣的影響，如果生命要興興發展下去

For now, we have no clue if it has either.

目前來說，我們沒有任何線索來判定它是否有其一的保護

And then there’s the question of Proxima b’s really tight orbit.

而且還有個問題就是比鄰星B號到底是不是有真的很接近的公轉

When a planet orbits its star so closely, it will become “tidally locked” -- this

當一個行星非常接近地公轉著恆星，就會造成潮汐鎖定（又稱同步自轉）的現象

causes one hemisphere to constantly face the star while the other is in constant night.

這樣半球就會固定的面向恆星，而另一半球則就是永夜狀態

That is VERY un-Earth-like, and can make for INSANE planetary weather.

這樣就超不像地球，這樣也會導致行星氣候非常的令人覺得瘋狂

One side cooks while the other freezes.

當一邊是冰天雪地時，另一遍卻是高溫難耐

Look, in the end, this is still a VERY important AND historic discovery.

最後，這樣還一項非常重要而且歷史性的發現

To have any world that just so happens to have any Earthy qualities on our galactic

在我們的銀河邊界能夠找到有個世界擁有許多像地球一樣的

doorstep is an incredible stroke of luck and will undoubtedly become a point of scientific

特質是令人難以置信的幸運，而且無疑地一定會變成可以激勵世人

interest that could inspire Earthlings to see interstellar travel as a possibility.

預見星際旅行可能性的科學價值

When it comes to finding these tiny little planets, how do we know so much about them when

當我們找到這些微小的行星的時候，我們是怎樣能夠知道一顆距離我們這麼遙遠的

thay are so far away?

行星的一堆事情呢？

DiscoveryNews Space Producer Dr. Ian O'Neill explains that for you, here.

DiscoveryNews太空主題的製作人Ian O'Neill博士會在這裡為大家解說

Special thanks to Dr. Ian O'Neill for all his help with this story!

特別感謝Ian O'Neill博士對於此影片的鼎力協助

We couldn't done it without you. You're a star, man!

沒有你我們無法完成這部影片。哥們，你就是個照亮我們的星球呀！

How do you feel about this discovery?

你對於這個世紀大發現有什麼感覺呢？

Are you excited? Are you nervous? You want to go to there?

你很興奮？你很緊張？ 想要去那裏一探究竟嗎？

Let us know in the comments, and please subscribe. so you'll get more DNews

讓我們在下方回應知道你的感想，請記得訂閱。你會看到更多DNews影片