Exoplanet: The hunt is on

原文

How many planets are out there?

Today scientists believe that planets could outnumber the stars.For centuries,scientists and natual philosophers have proposed that stars in the night sky have planetary system similar to our solar system.The existence of extrasolar planets,or exoplanets,has long been speculated.However,only in the last few decades have we developed the technology to prove their exsitence.Alough not the first exoplanet discovery,a planet near a sun-like star was discovered by astronomers in 1995.

This kicked off an area of exoplanet hunting,with thousands of discoveries and confirmations following in its wake.Most exoplanets are very different from the ones in our solar system.However,in 2015 NASA's Kepler space telescope found its first Earth-sized planet in a "habitable"zone.This is the distance from a star where surface temperatures of a planet wolen't be too hot or too cold for liquid water.So far,only a small slice of our galaxy,the Milky Way,has been explored.Even so,scientists have confirmed over 3500 exoplanets,with more being added every day.

词汇

shooting star 流星

the Milky Way 我们人类生活的银河系

extrordinary 非凡的

extrocurricular 课外的

outnumber 在数量上超过

In our company,males outnumber females two to one.

The kids outnumber the adults at our family reunion.

spectulate 猜测 推测

Ecomomists are spectulating that there will be another rise in interest rates.

The media has been spectulated the celeb couple will tie the knot soon.

in sth's wake 随着某件事而来的结果

The prise of the company's stocks was boosted in the wake of the merger.

The building was closed to the public in the wake of terrorist attack.

galaxy 星际

Through this telescope you can see the nearest galaxy to Earth.

The sun is just one of the stars in our galaxy.

句型

to kick off  开始

I've had enough of sth 对某事忍无可忍    I've had enough sth 吃饱了，现在够了

is on 正在进行中