科学家在“外星”彗星内部发现了奇怪的化学成分
科学家在“外星”彗星内部发现了奇怪的化学成分
Scientists have discovered that a comet called 2I/Borisov – only the second interstellar object ever detected passing through the solar system – is surprisingly different in its composition from comets hailing from our celestial neighborhood.
科学家们发现，一颗名为2I/Borisov的彗星——这是迄今为止发现的第二颗穿越太阳系的星际物体——其组成与来自我们的天体邻居的彗星惊人地不同。
Gas coming off 2I/Borisov contained high amounts of carbon monoxide – far more than comets formed in our solar system – indicating the object had large concentrations of carbon monoxide ice, researchers said on Monday.
研究人员于本周一称，2I/Borisov彗星释放出的气体中含有大量的一氧化碳——远远多于太阳系中形成的彗星——这表明该物体中含有大量的一氧化碳冰。
Carbon monoxide, poisonous to humans, is common as a gas in space and forms as ice only in the most frigid locations. The presence of so much carbon monoxide, the researchers said, suggests 2I/Borisov formed in a different manner than comets in our solar system – in a very cold outer region of its home star system or around a star cooler than the sun.
对人类有毒的一氧化碳在太空中以气体的形式存在，只有在最寒冷的地方才会形成冰。研究人员说，这么多一氧化碳的存在表明，2I/Borisov彗星的形成方式与我们太阳系中的彗星不同——其母星系统的一个非常寒冷的外部区域，或者在一个比太阳还要冷的恒星周围。
Comets essentially are dirty snowballs composed of frozen gases, rock and dust that orbit stars.
彗星本质上是由围绕恒星运行的冰冻气体、岩石和尘埃组成的脏雪球。
“We like to refer to 2I/Borisov as a snowman from a dark and cold place,” said planetary scientist Dennis Bodewits of Auburn University in Alabama, lead author of one of two 2I/Borisov studies published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
阿拉巴马州奥本大学的行星科学家Dennis Bodewits说:“我们喜欢把2I/Borisov比作来自黑暗和寒冷地方的雪人。”他是发表在《自然天文学》杂志上的两篇2I/Borisov研究论文之一的主要作者。
The comet, detected in August 2019 by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov and estimated to be about six-tenths of a mile (1-km) wide, has zoomed through interstellar space after being ejected from its original star system.
这颗彗星于2019年8月被业余天文学家根纳季·鲍里索夫发现，据估计大约有1公里宽的0.6分之1英里，从原来的恒星系统中被抛出后，在星际空间中迅速移动。
It was born long ago in a rotating disc of gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star in a place that must have been rich in carbon monoxide, Bodewits said. That star may have been what is called an M-dwarf, far smaller and cooler than the sun and the smallest type of star that is known, Bodewits said.
Bodewits说，它很久以前就诞生在一个旋转的圆盘里，周围环绕着一颗新形成的恒星，那里一定富含一氧化碳。博德威特说，这颗恒星可能是所谓的“m -矮星”，比太阳小得多，温度也低得多，是已知的最小的恒星类型。
