Often considered the stuff of science fiction, sailing through space was suggested 400 years ago by astronomer Johannes Kepler who observed comet tails blown by the solar wind.

400年前，约翰·开普勒发现太阳风作用形成彗尾的现象，并由此提出星际航行的构想，但这常被认为是科幻小说里的内容。

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“This is the first unquestionably rocky planet orbiting a star outside our solar system,” said astronomer Natalie Batalha of San Jose State University, a member of the Kepler team.

San Jose州立大学天文学家Natalie Batalha说，毫无疑问，这是我们第一次探测到太阳系以外的岩状行星。

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British astronomer Arthur Eddington was involved in an expedition to principe island in west Africa, where he photographed the total solar eclipse of 1919.

1919年英国天文学家Arthur Eddington参加了西非普林西比岛的探险活动，他在那里拍摄了整个日蚀过程。

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The work of solar astronomer Mitzi Adams, left, has improved our understanding of the sun's turbulent behavior.

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"We are starting to see a whole new type of planetary system, which is unlike anything in our own solar system, " said astronomer William Welsh at San Diego State University, who presented the Kepler findings Wednesday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas.

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During his 32nd solar eclipse observation, the Harvard-trained astronomer is to study the elusive coronal ring, the outer atmosphere of the sun, which can only be seen when the moon blots out the solar disk.

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