A terrestrial planet hovering between Mars and Jupiter would be able to push Earth out of the solar system and wipe out life on this planet, according to a UC Riverside experiment.

根据加州大学河滨分校（UCR）的一项实验，一颗徘徊在火星和木星之间的类地行星将能够将地球推出太阳系，并消灭地球上的生命。

UCR astrophysicist Stephen Kane explained that his experiment was meant to address two notable gaps in planetary science.

加州大学河滨分校（UCR）天体物理学家Stephen Kane解释说，他的实验是为了弥补天文学的两个显著空白。

The first is the gap in our solar system between the size of terrestrial and giant gas planets. The largest terrestrial planet is Earth, and the smallest gas giant is Neptune, which is four times wider and 17 times more massive than Earth. There is nothing in between.

第一个是太阳系中类地行星和巨大气体行星之间的差距。最大的类地行星是地球，最小的气体巨星是海王星，海王星比地球宽4倍，质量是地球的17倍。没有介于两者之间的星体。

“In other star systems there are many planets with masses in that gap. We call them super-Earths,” Kane said.

“在其他恒星系统中，有许多行星的质量都在这个范围内。我们称它们为超级地球。”

The other gap is in location, relative to the sun, between Mars and Jupiter. “Planetary scientists often wish there was something in between those two planets. It seems like wasted real estate,” he said.

另一个差距是相对于太阳，火星和木星之间的位置。“行星科学家常希望这两颗行星之间有什么东西。这看起来像是浪费了房地产。”

These gaps could offer important insights into the architecture of our solar system, and into Earth’s evolution. To fill them in, Kane ran dynamic computer simulations of a planet between Mars and Jupiter with a range of different masses, and then observed the effects on the orbits of all other planets.

这些空白可以为我们了解太阳系的结构和地球的演化提供重要的见解。为了填补这些空白，凯恩对火星和木星之间一颗质量不同的行星进行了动态计算机模拟，然后观察它对其他行星轨道的影响。

The results, published in the Planetary Science Journal, were mostly disastrous for the solar system. “This fictional planet gives a nudge to Jupiter that is just enough to destabilize everything else,” Kane said. “Despite many astronomers having wished for this extra planet, it’s a good thing we don’t have it.”

发表在《行星科学杂志》上的研究结果表面该行星对太阳系来说具有巨大的灾难性。凯恩说:“这颗虚构的行星对木星的推动足以破坏其他一切。尽管许多天文学家都希望有这颗额外的行星，但我们认为它并非好事。”

Jupiter is much larger than all the other planets combined; its mass is 318 times that of Earth, so its gravitational influence is profound. If a super-Earth in our solar system, a passing star, or any other celestial object disturbed Jupiter even slightly, all other planets would be profoundly affected.

木星比其他行星加起来都要大得多;它的质量是地球的318倍，所以它的引力影响深远。如果太阳系中有一颗超级地球、一颗经过的恒星或任何其他天体对木星造成哪怕是轻微的干扰，所有其他行星都会受到深远的影响。

Depending on the mass and exact location of a super-Earth, its presence could ultimately eject Mercury and Venus as well as Earth from the solar system. It could also destabilize the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, tossing them into outer space as well.

根据超级地球的质量和确切位置，它的存在最终可能会将水星、金星以及地球从太阳系中驱逐出去。它还可能破坏天王星和海王星的轨道，将它们抛到外太空。

The super-Earth would change the shape of this Earth’s orbit, making it far less habitable than it is today, if not ending life entirely.

“超级地球”会改变地球轨道的形状，即使不会彻底终结生命，也会使地球远不如现在宜居。

Artist's concept of Kepler-62f, a super-Earth-size planet orbiting a star smaller and cooler than the sun, about 1,200 light-years from Earth.

开普勒-62f的艺术家概念图表明，这是一颗“超级地球”大小的行星，围绕着一颗比太阳更小、更冷的恒星运行，距离地球约1200光年。

If Kane made the planet’s mass smaller and put it directly in between Mars and Jupiter, he saw it was possible for the planet to remain stable for a long period of time. But small moves in any direction and, “things would go poorly,” he said.

如果凯恩把这颗行星的质量缩小，并把它直接放在火星和木星之间，他认为这颗行星有可能在很长一段时间内保持稳定。但任何方向的微小动作，“都会让事情变得很糟糕，”他说。

The study has implications for the ability of planets in other solar systems to host life. Though Jupiter-like planets, gas giants far from their stars, are only found in about 10% of the time, their presence could decide whether neighboring Earths or super-Earths have stable orbits.

这项研究对其他太阳系的行星是否有能力承载生命有一定的意义。虽然类木行星(远离恒星的气体巨星)只有10%的几率被发现，但它们的存在可以决定相邻的地球或“超级地球”是否有稳定的轨道。

These results gave Kane a renewed respect for the delicate order that holds the planets together around the sun. “Our solar system is more finely tuned than I appreciated before. It all works like intricate clock gears. Throw more gears into the mix and it all breaks,” Kane said.

这些结果让凯恩重新认识到行星围绕太阳运转的微妙秩序。“我们的太阳系比我以前想象的要更精细。这一切都像复杂的时钟齿轮。把更多的齿轮放入混合，它就坏了，”凯恩说。