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A new study suggests about one-third of planets orbiting our galaxy's most common stars may hold conditions to support life.
一项新的研究表明，围绕银河系最常见的恒星运行的行星中，约有三分之一的行星可能具有支持生命的条件。
The study was based on data collected by two telescopes.
这项研究基于两台望远镜收集的数据。
Researchers involved in the study centered their examinations on stars in our Milky Way galaxy known as red dwarfs.
参与这项研究的研究人员将他们的研究重点放在银河系中被称为红矮星的恒星上。
The American space agency NASA notes that red dwarfs are generally much smaller than our sun.
美国航空航天局指出，红矮星通常比太阳小得多。
They are also the coolest stars and appear more orange than red.
它们也是最冷的恒星，颜色看起来更偏向橙色而不是红色。
Red dwarfs are also known as M dwarfs.
红矮星也被称为M型矮星。
NASA estimates that they make up about 75 percent of all stars in the Milky Way.
美国航空航天局估计，它们约占银河系所有恒星的75%。
Experts believe billions of planets orbit red dwarf stars.
专家认为，有数十亿颗行星围绕着红矮星运行。
The study found that a third of planets orbiting red dwarf stars could be in what scientists call the "habitable zone."
这项研究发现，围绕红矮星运行的行星中，有三分之一的行星可能位于科学家所谓的“宜居带”。
Being in a star's habitable zone means a planet has temperatures that could permit liquid water to exist on the surface.
处于恒星的宜居带意味着行星的温度可以允许液态水存在于表面。
Since water is necessary for life as we know it, the presence of liquid means a planet could possibly support life.
正如我们所知，水是生命所必需的，所以液体的存在意味着行星上可能存在生命。
The planets examined in the study are called exoplanets.
这项研究中检测的行星被称为系外行星。
These are planets that orbit a star other than our sun.
这些行星是围绕除了太阳外的其他恒星运行的。
Sara Ballard, an astronomer at the University of Florida, carried out the research.
佛罗里达大学的天文学家萨拉·巴拉德进行了这项研究。
Doctoral student Sheila Sagear helped Ballard on the project.
博士生希拉·萨格尔帮助巴拉德进行了这个项目。
Their findings were recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
他们的研究结果最近发表在《美国科学院院报》上。
Sagear said in a statement that red dwarfs "are excellent targets to look for small planets in an orbit where it's conceivable that water might be liquid and therefore the planet might be habitable."
萨格尔在一份声明中说，红矮星“是寻找轨道上可能存在液态水的小行星的极佳目标，因此那里的行星可能适合人类居住。”
Sagear added that the new findings will be "really important" for additional exoplanet research in the coming years.
萨格尔补充说，新的研究结果对于未来几年更多的系外行星研究是“非常重要的”。
The researchers said that because dwarf stars are cooler, the exoplanets would have to be very near their star to be warm enough to keep liquid water.
研究人员表示，由于矮星温度较低，因此系外行星必须离它们的恒星非常近才能保持足够的温度来保持液态水。
But the researchers also noted that being so close means the planets would also be affected by "extreme tidal forces caused by the star's gravitational effect on the planets."
但研究人员也指出，距离如此之近意味着这些行星也会受到“恒星对行星的引力作用所产生的极端潮汐作用力”的影响。
The researchers said the remaining two-thirds of planets around red dwarf stars have likely been subjected to gravitational forces that cause the planets to heat up.
研究人员表示，红矮星周围其余三分之二的行星可能会受到导致行星升温的引力。
This process is known as tidal heating.
这个过程被称为潮汐加热。
It can result in planets being "sterilized," with no chance for holding liquid water.
这可能会导致行星被“消毒”，没有机会保存液态水。
Sagear and Ballard said they measured the "eccentricity" of more than 150 exoplanets orbiting red dwarf stars.
萨格尔和巴拉德说，他们测量了150多颗围绕红矮星运行的系外行星的“偏心率”。
They described eccentricity as the shape of the planet's orbit around the star.
他们将偏心率描述为行星围绕恒星运行的轨道形状。
The data came from NASA's Kepler telescope and the European Space Agency's Gaia telescope.
这些数据来自美国航空航天局的开普勒太空望远镜和欧洲航天局的盖亚太空望远镜。
Instruments helped the team collect data on how often the planets move in front of their stars.
这些仪器帮助研究小组收集了行星在其恒星前面移动的频率的数据。
They also helped the team measure distances between red dwarfs.
它们还帮助研究小组测量了红矮星之间的距离。
Sagear said the distance measurements were a very important part of the research.
萨格尔说，距离测量是这项研究中非常重要的一部分。
Past studies had not included such measurements.
以往的研究没有包括距离测量。
The team noted that stars with several planets were "most likely to have the kind of circular orbits" that permit them to keep holding liquid water.
该研究小组指出，有多颗行星围绕的恒星“最有可能拥有圆形轨道”，这使得它们能够保存液态水。
On the other hand, stars with only one planet were most likely to see tidal extremes that could sterilize the surface.
另一方面，只有一颗行星围绕的恒星最有可能出现极端潮汐，这可能会使表面被“消毒”。
The researchers said their results mean that the Milky Way may have hundreds of millions of planets that could be studied for possible signs of life.
研究人员表示，他们的结果意味着银河系可能有数亿颗行星可以被研究，以寻找可能存在的生命迹象。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
