新的研究表明，9号行星可能已经被发现

新的研究表明，9号行星可能已经被发现

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月发射以来，美国航天局的凌日系外行星测量卫星(TESS)已经发现了许多系外行星，其中包括一个所谓的“缺失环”和一个有三个太阳的系外行星。但一项新的研究表明，这颗耗资2亿美元的卫星可能也发现了这颗神秘的9号行星。

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.

这项研究发表在《美国天文学会研究纪要》(research Notes of The AAS)上。该研究指出，TESS能够在太空中对同一地点拍摄多张照片，可能定位外海王星天体(trans-Neptunian objects，也称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.

因为TESS能够探测到大约5像素位移的物体，而行星9“的预期星等是19 < V < 24”，所以“TESS能够发现它”的可能性就增加了!作者在研究中写道。

“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.”

该研究的主要作者、哈佛大学天体物理学家马特·霍尔曼(Matt Holman)在接受福克斯新闻(Fox News)采访时表示:“苔丝所做的就是一次盯着天空几个月。”“它在寻找系外行星，你可以通过观察主恒星的路径来找到这些行星。”

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.

据SyFy Wire报道，9号行星的近红外星等可能在19到24之间，这使得TESS有可能已经观测到了它。

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.

霍尔曼指出，TESS已经观察了整个南半球，如果9号行星在天空的那一部分，那么“几乎100%的可能性”已经被观测到。“如果是在北半球，我们还没有到那里，”他补充说。

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月发射升空，取代了开普勒望远镜，开普勒望远镜在去年下半年开始出现故障，在发现2600多颗系外行星(包括18颗地球大小的系外行星)后，最终于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发现了它的第一颗系外行星。七个月后的2019年4月，它发现了第一颗地球大小的行星。