美國天文學家說， 他們有強有力的證據表明在我們的太陽系中還存在著第九顆行星，就在冥王星遙遙之外的地方。加州理工學院 (Caltech) 的天文學家對這顆行星應該處在天空里的什么位置有一個模糊的概念。他們的這項工作肯定會激發一場試圖追蹤行星的運動。以下是BBC Jonathan Amos 的報道。

The idea that there might be a so-called Planet X moving in the distant reaches of the Solar System has been debated for more than 100 years. It's fallen in and out of vogue.

The latest claim is based on an analysis of the movements of objects in a band of icy material orbiting more than 3bn miles away known as the Kuiper Belt. The only way these alignments can be explained, say the Caltech team, is if an object ten times as massive as the Earth is out there somewhere moving perhaps 20 times as far away as Neptune, the current most distant planet.

The group hope their research will spark a telescope campaign to try to track it down.

One reason the claim is being taken so seriously is that it comes from the renowned astronomer Mike Brown. It was his discoveries in the outer Solar System that eventually led to?Pluto losing its planet status in 2006.

詞匯表

so-called 所謂的，號稱的
debated （過去分詞）辯論，爭論
vogue 流行，風尚
claim 聲稱
alignments （空間）序列
renowned 有名的，享有聲望的
status 地位，資格

測驗

請聽報道并回答下列問題。

1. What could indicate the existence of the ninth planet?

2. How big is the new planet thought to be?

3. Why are astronomers taking the idea that there is another planet in the Solar System seriously?

4. What happened to Pluto in 2006?

答案

1. What could indicate the existence of the ninth planet?
The particular way objects move in a band of icy material known as the Kuiper Belt.

2. How big is the new planet thought to be?
It's thought to be ten times bigger than Earth.

3. Why are astronomers taking the idea that there is another planet in the Solar System seriously??
Because it was announced by Mike Brown, who is a renowned astronomer.

4. What happened to Pluto in 2006?
It lost its planet status.