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發表於 2008-7-9 16:17:02
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Shaw Laureate Michel Mayor and Astronomers Discovered A Triple System of Super-Earths
A team of European astronomers led by Shaw Laureate, Professor Michel Mayor have announced a significant breakthrough in the field of extra-solar planets at an international conference held earlier in France.
With the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) at the ESO La Silla Observatory, the team has found a triple system of super-Earths around the star HD40307. Professor Mayor said that they had made very precise measurement of the velocity of the star HD40307 over the last five years, which clearly revealed the presence of three planets. These planets having 4.2, 6.7 and 9.4 times the mass of the Earth, orbit the star with periods of 4.3, 9.6 and 20.4 days respectively.
Professor Mayor added that they might not yet know if every single star does harbour planets but their recent discovery did make huge progress towards it.
(Retrieved 18 June 2008 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/release/2008/0608061608723.htm)
Professor Michel Mayor is a Shaw Laureate in Astronomy 2005 and currently a member of the Selection Committee of the Shaw Prize. The Prize is awarded annually by the Shaw Prize Foundation in Hong Kong in Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine and Mathematical Sciences, each of the three prizes bears a monetary award of one million US dollars. The Shaw Laureates for 2008 have just been announced and this is the fifth year that the Shaw Prize has been awarded. The presentation ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, 2008 in Hong Kong.
July 9, 2008 Hong Kong
新 聞 稿
邵逸夫天文學獎得獎者率領天文學家發現
一恒星系統包含三顆「超級地球」
一組由邵逸夫天文學獎得獎者米歇爾 • 麥耶教授率領的歐洲天文學家於日前在法國召開的國際學術會議上宣佈發現三顆被稱為「超級地球」的類地行星,是天文學界的一重大突破。
據《每日科學》雜誌網站報導,科學家是利用設在智利的高精度徑向速
度行星搜索器 (HARP) 發現了三顆超級類地行星繞著同一顆恒星
HD40307運行的恒星系統。麥耶教授說,觀測小組在過去五年對這顆恒
星進行非常準確的速度測量期間,已清淅地發現該三顆行星的存在。這
三顆行星的質量分別是地球的4.2倍、6.7倍和9.4倍,繞恒星運行的公
轉周期分別為4.3天、9.6天和20.4天,顯示行星的質量與運行速度都比
地球大,比地球快。麥耶教授又稱該小組雖仍未肯定是否每一顆恒星都
有行星系統,但最近的發現,為這理論邁出重大的一步。
米歇爾 • 麥耶教授是2005 年度邵逸夫天文學獎的其中一位得獎者,亦是
邵逸夫天文學獎現屆遴選委員之一。邵逸夫獎每年由香港邵逸夫獎基金
會頒發,獎項分別為天文學獎、生命科學與醫學獎、及數學科學獎,每
獎項為美金一百萬美元。今年為第五屆,日前得獎名單已經公佈,
頒獎典禮定於9月9日(星期二) 舉行。
2008 年7月9日 香港
[ 本帖最後由 hildawfsung 於 2008-7-12 22:48 編輯 ] |
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