PRAGUE， Czech Republic （AP） —— Our solar system would have 12 planets instead of nine under a proposed "Big Bang" expansion by leading astronomers， changing what billions of schoolchildren are taught about their corner of the cosmos.
摘要： 傳統(tǒng)的“太陽系九大行星”概念正面臨著被*的危險(xiǎn)。天文學(xué)家16日在此間舉行的國際天文學(xué)聯(lián)合會(huì)大會(huì)上正式提交有關(guān)行星定義的決議草案，這份草案如獲通過，太陽系行星將擴(kuò)充至12顆。
Much-maligned Pluto would remain a planet —— and its largest moon plus two other heavenly bodies would join Earth's neighborhood —— under a draft resolution to be formally presented Wednesday to the International Astronomical Union， the arbiter of what is and is not a planet.
"Yes， Virginia， Pluto is a planet，" quipped Richard Binzel， a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The proposal could change， however： Binzel and the other nearly 2，500 astronomers from 75 nations meeting in Prague to hammer out a universal definition of a planet will hold two brainstorming sessions before they vote on the resolution next week. But the draft comes from the IAU's executive committee， which only submits recommendations likely to get two-thirds approval from the group.
Besides reaffirming the status of puny Pluto —— whose detractors insist should not be a planet at all —— the new lineup would include 2003 UB313， the farthest-known object in the solar system and nicknamed Xena； Pluto's largest moon， Charon； and the asteroid Ceres， which was a planet in the 1800s before it was demoted.
The panel also proposed a new category of planets called "plutons，" referring to Pluto-like objects that reside in the Kuiper Belt， a mysterious， disc-shaped zone beyond Neptune containing thousands of comets and planetary objects. Pluto itself and two of the potential newcomers —— Charon and 2003 UB313 —— would be plutons.
Even if the list of planets is officially lengthened when astronomers vote on Aug. 24， it is not likely to stay that way for long： The IAU has a "watchlist" of at least a dozen other potential candidates that could become planets once more is known about their sizes and orbits.
注釋：astronomer：n. 天文學(xué)家
cosmos：n. 宇宙
Pluto：n. 冥王星
arbiter：n. 仲裁者
quip：v. 嘲弄
hammer out：推敲出
brainstorm：v. 集體討論
puny：adj. 弱小的
asteroid：adj. 星狀的
Neptune：n. 海王星
candidate：n. 候選人
摘要： 傳統(tǒng)的“太陽系九大行星”概念正面臨著被*的危險(xiǎn)。天文學(xué)家16日在此間舉行的國際天文學(xué)聯(lián)合會(huì)大會(huì)上正式提交有關(guān)行星定義的決議草案，這份草案如獲通過，太陽系行星將擴(kuò)充至12顆。
Much-maligned Pluto would remain a planet —— and its largest moon plus two other heavenly bodies would join Earth's neighborhood —— under a draft resolution to be formally presented Wednesday to the International Astronomical Union， the arbiter of what is and is not a planet.
"Yes， Virginia， Pluto is a planet，" quipped Richard Binzel， a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The proposal could change， however： Binzel and the other nearly 2，500 astronomers from 75 nations meeting in Prague to hammer out a universal definition of a planet will hold two brainstorming sessions before they vote on the resolution next week. But the draft comes from the IAU's executive committee， which only submits recommendations likely to get two-thirds approval from the group.
Besides reaffirming the status of puny Pluto —— whose detractors insist should not be a planet at all —— the new lineup would include 2003 UB313， the farthest-known object in the solar system and nicknamed Xena； Pluto's largest moon， Charon； and the asteroid Ceres， which was a planet in the 1800s before it was demoted.
The panel also proposed a new category of planets called "plutons，" referring to Pluto-like objects that reside in the Kuiper Belt， a mysterious， disc-shaped zone beyond Neptune containing thousands of comets and planetary objects. Pluto itself and two of the potential newcomers —— Charon and 2003 UB313 —— would be plutons.
Even if the list of planets is officially lengthened when astronomers vote on Aug. 24， it is not likely to stay that way for long： The IAU has a "watchlist" of at least a dozen other potential candidates that could become planets once more is known about their sizes and orbits.
注釋：astronomer：n. 天文學(xué)家
cosmos：n. 宇宙
Pluto：n. 冥王星
arbiter：n. 仲裁者
quip：v. 嘲弄
hammer out：推敲出
brainstorm：v. 集體討論
puny：adj. 弱小的
asteroid：adj. 星狀的
Neptune：n. 海王星
candidate：n. 候選人