(PUC - RS - 2017/2)
Thrilling Discovery of Seven Earth-sized Planets Orbiting Nearby Star
Ian Sample Science editor-published on Wed. 22 Feb 2017
01 A huddle of seven worlds, all close in size to Earth,
02 and perhaps warm enough for water and the life it can
03 sustain, has been spotted around a small, faint star in
04 the constellation of Aquarius. The discovery, which has
05 thrilled astronomers, has raised hopes that the hunt for
06 alien life could start much sooner than previously thought.
07 The next generation of telescopes are due to switch on in
08 the next decade. Astronomers reported what looked like
09 three planets in orbit around Trappist-1, a star they named
10 after the Trappist robotic telescope in the Chilean desert
11 that first caught sight of the alien worlds. The telescope
12 did not see the planets directly, but recorded the shadows
13 they cast as they crossed the face of the star.
14 It is the first time that so many Earth-sized planets have
15 been found in orbit around the same star, an unexpected
16 haul that suggests the Milky Way may be teeming with
17 worlds that, in size and firmness underfoot at least,
18 resemble our own rocky home. Researchers hope to
19 know if there is life on the planets within a decade. Ignas
20 Snellen, an astrophysicist at the Leiden Observatory in the
21 Netherlands, who was not involved in the study, said the
22 findings show that Earth-like planets must be extremely
23 common. “This is really something new,” he said. “When
24 they started this search several years ago, I really thought
25 it was a waste of time.__________________________.”
26 Astronomers are now focusing on whether the planets
27 have atmospheres. If they do, they could reveal the first
28 hints of life on the surfaces below. The Hubble telescope
29 could detect methane and water in the alien air, but both
30 can be produced without life. David Charbonneau, a
31 professor of astronomy at Harvard University who was
32 also not involved in the latest study, said a growing
33 number of astronomers were getting excited about what
34 he called “the M-dwarf opportunity” – the study of planets
35 around such faint dwarf stars. “It’s a fast track approach
36 to looking for life beyond the solar system,” he said.
Adapted from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/22/thrilling-discovery-of-seven-earth-sized-planets-discovered-orbiting-trappist-1-star
The last sentence of the second paragraph was taken out of the text. The alternative below which presents the right sentence is
Thank God I was wise.
I was very, very wrong.
They told me to give up.
In fact, I was auspicious.
I can’t say I was mistaken.