08年五大天文新发现 Top 5 Amazing Astronomy Discoveries in 2008

迄今为止，天文学家已经发现300多颗系外行星，在不久的将来，他们似乎就能发现“另一个地球”。11月，两组天文学家报告说，他们已成功对系外行星进行直接成像。加州大学伯克利分校的杰弗里·马西(Geoffrey Marcy)称，这些图片无疑是“2008年最引人注目的成果”。在接受电话采访时，马西提到了利用哈勃太空望远镜对一颗名为“北落师门b”的行星进行直接成像，他说：“从我个人的专业角度来说，这是迄今为止对行星拍摄的最具决定性的图片。”

 

马西说，之所以在这一年发现数量如此惊人的系外行星要归功于新技术的使用、细致入微的观测以及天文学家的积极参与和卖力工作。除“北落师门b”外，天文学家发现的其它重要系外行星包括：体积最小的行星，质量只有地球的3倍；温度最高的行星，可达到4000华氏度左右(约合2200摄氏度)；绕一颗恒星运转的3颗“超级地球”。马西等天文学家相信，在即将到来的2009年，他们能够在探测类地行星道路上再向前迈进一步。2009年3月，美国宇航局将发射开普勒太空望远镜，寻找与地球体积相当的多岩行星，它们要在适于人类居住的区域绕母星运行并可能存在液态水和生命。

With the extrasolar planet tally now well above 300, astronomers seem to be on track for spotting another Earth (the astronomical jackpot) before long. Along the way this year, a jaw-dropping announcement came in November when two teams of astronomers reported they had snapped direct images of exoplanets.

Geoffrey Marcy of the University of California, Berkeley, calls the images "the most spectacular thing in 2008."

"In my own professional opinion this is by far the most definitive picture of a planet ever taken," Marcy said during a telephone interview, referring to the direct image by the Hubble Space Telescope of the planet called Fomalhaut b.

The gold rush of exoplanet discoveries this year boils down to new techniques and observatories as well as energetic astronomers involved, Marcy said.

Some other highlights include: the least-massive planet, weighing in at just three times the mass of Earth; the hottest planet, with temperatures reaching about 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 degrees Celsius); and three so-called super-Earths orbiting a star.

Astronomers like Marcy predict the upcoming year will bring us even closer to detecting Earth's twin. For instance, NASA's Kepler mission is scheduled to launch in March with the goal of finding rocky planets about the size of Earth that orbit within the habitable zone of their host stars where liquid water and life might exist. Stay tuned.