一組國際天文學家得出了最有決定性的一個結論，一個具有深遠含義的結論：我們的銀河包含至少...

    A new study suggests that there are as many as 60 billion habitable planets orbiting red dwarf stars in the Milky Way alone—twice the number previously thought and strong evidence to hint that we may not be alone.
一項新的研究表明單在銀河系裡就有多達600億顆可居住的行星圍繞著其紅矮星運行 — 這是之前猜測的兩倍並且有力證明了我們可能並不孤單。

    A team of scientists has been reassessing the limits of the habitable zones around red dwarf stars, which are smaller and fainter than the sun. Based on simulations of cloud behaviour on extrasolar planets—previously ignored in calculations—the team of astrophysicists calculated new parameters for defining a habitable zone around red dwarf stars. This cloud behavior dramatically expanded the size of the zone, as Dr. Dorian Abbot from the University of Chicago explains:
一組科學家重新估算了在這些比太陽體積小，光線黯淡的紅矮星周圍可居住區域。基於系外行星雲層運行情況的類比 — 之前在計算中忽略 — 這組天文學家計算了關於紅矮星居住參數的新定義。這些星雲加劇擴大了區域的範圍，芝加哥大學的 Abbot 博士解釋：

    “Clouds cause warming, and they cause cooling on Earth. They reflect sunlight to cool things off, and they absorb infrared radiation from the surface to make a greenhouse effect. That’s part of what keeps the planet warm enough to sustain life."
「雲層可以導致升溫或保持涼爽。雲層反射太陽光使物體變涼，再從地面吸收紅外線產生溫室效應。這就是我們地球能保持溫暖維持生命的原因之一。」

    The result? Instead of there being on average approximately one Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of each red dwarf, there are in fact roughly two. In total, that means there are around 60 billion habitable planets orbiting red dwarf stars in the Milky Way.

    Interestingly, because red dwarf stars are relatively small and weak, the planets now deemed habitable would have to orbit their star's once every one to two months. In turn, they'd become tidally locked—which is where one side of the planet would always face the star, like one side of the moon always faces Earth. So, better pack a jumper or two if you want to visit the other side.
有趣的是，因為紅矮星體型相對較小溫度較低，這些可居行星不得不每一到兩個月就要繞恒星一次，因而產生潮汐鎖定 — 也就是說行星的一面總是面對恒星，就像月球的一面總是朝著地球一樣。所以，如果你想去參觀另一邊的話最好是帶上一兩件外套。