第二个星际访客可能携带着“外星人”的水蒸气

A mysterious comet that has just entered our solar system could be carrying “alien water,” according to a new study.

一项新的研究表明，一颗刚刚进入太阳系的神秘彗星可能携带着“外星水”。

Researchers analyzing the interstellar 2I/Borisov comet think that it’s releasing water vapor as it zooms closer to us from light-years away.

分析这颗星际2I/Borisov彗星的研究人员认为，它在离我们几光年远的地方向我们靠近时释放出水蒸气。

Scientists have been comparing it to the creepy space rock Oumuamua.

科学家们一直将其与令人毛骨悚然的太空岩石Oumuamua进行比较。

NASA/ESA/D. JEWITT (UCLA)

Oumuamua was the first interstellar object to be detected in our solar system, meaning it had traveled from a far off place outside the Milky Way.

Oumuamua是在我们的太阳系中发现的第一个星际物体，这意味着它来自银河系以外的一个遥远的地方。

It is so unusual in shape and behavior that some people even thought it was an alien probe.

它的形状和行为如此不同寻常，以至于一些人甚至认为它是一个外星探测器。

Comet 2I/Borisov is the second “alien” visitor ever seen by astronomers.

彗星2I/Borisov是天文学家所见过的第二个“外星”访客。

The interstellar water vapor proposal has been submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

星际水蒸气的提议已经提交给了《天体物理学杂志快报》。

The researchers wrote: “The discovery of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov provides an opportunity to sample the volatile composition of a comet that is unambiguously from outside our own solar system, providing constraints on the physics and chemistry of other protostellar discs.”

研究人员写道:“星际彗星2I/Borisov的发现为我们提供了一个机会，可以对来自我们太阳系之外的彗星的挥发性成分进行采样，从而对其他原恒星盘的物理和化学构成形成约束。”

The team will continue to observe the comet in the hope of learning new things as it makes its closest approach to the Sun on December 8.

该团队将继续观察这颗彗星，希望在12月8日它最接近太阳的时候能发现新的东西。