极度深寒

巴纳德B行星可能有外星生命，距离地球6光年。_我的网站

A | WASHINGTON -- Millions of Social Security recipients will get a 3.2% increase in their benefits in 2024, far less than this year's historic boost and reflecting moderating consumer prices.The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, means the average recipient will receive more than $50 more every month beginning in January, the Social Security Administration said Thursday. The AARP estimated that increase at $59 per month. “This will help millions of people keep up with expenses,” said Kilolo Kijakazi, Social Security’s acting commissioner.About 71 million people — including retirees, disabled people and children — receive Social Security benefits. Thursday's announcement follows this year’s 8.7% benefit increase, brought on by record 40-year-high inflation, which pushed up the price of consumer goods. With inflation easing, the next annual increase is markedly smaller.“Compared to last year's 8.7% increase, this is going to feel small and the perception is that its not keeping up with the inflation and the higher costs that retirees are still seeing,” said Martha Shedden, president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts.On top of that, an anticipated increase in Medicare premiums for 2024 will eat into the Social Security cost-of-living bump.Medicare hasn’t announced the increase for traditional Medicare, but said the cost of Medicare Advantage plans is expected to remain stable.Still, senior advocates applauded the annual Social Security adjustment.“Retirees can rest a little easier at night knowing they will soon receive an increase in their Social Security checks to help them keep up with rising prices,” AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said. “We know older Americans are still feeling the sting when they buy groceries and gas, making every dollar important." Social Security is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes will be $168,600 for 2024, up from $160,200 for 2023. Retirees whose sole income comes from Social Security are not subject to taxes on that income.Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for the social insurance program, said that the COLA is a “reminder of Social Security’s unique importance" and that “Congress should pass legislation to protect and expand benefits.”However, the program faces a severe financial shortfall in the coming years.The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released in March said the program’s trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2033. If the trust fund is depleted, the government will be able to pay only 77% of scheduled benefits, the report said.There have been legislative proposals to shore up Social Security, but they have not made it past committee hearings.A March poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most U.S. adults are opposed to proposals that would cut into Medicare or Social Security benefits, and 79% of people polled said they oppose reducing the size of Social Security benefits.The Social Security Administration is still without a permanent leader. President Joe Biden in July nominated former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley to lead the agency.The COLA is calculated according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, or CPI. But there are calls for the agency to instead use a different index, the CPI-E, which measures price changes based on the spending patterns of the elderly, like health care, food and medicine costs.Any change to the calculation would require congressional approval. But with decades of inaction on Social Security and with the House at a standstill after the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., seniors and their advocates say they don’t have confidence any sort of change will be approved soon. The cost of living adjustments will have a big impact on people like Alfred Mason, an 83-year-old Louisiana resident. Mason said that “any increase is welcomed, because it sustains us for what we are going through.”As inflation is still high, he said, anything added to his income “would be greatly appreciated.”。据外国媒体报道，科学家最新的研究发现，一颗巨大的超级行星离地球只有6光年远，这可能孕育着原始的生命形式。巴纳德B（GJ699B）是最近发现的一颗绕着巴纳德运行的超级地球行星，它是离地球第二近的恒星系统。这颗行星被认为是非常冷的，其表面温度与木卫二相似，大约在零下150度。然而，研究人员说，它可能有一个巨大的热铁/镍核心，地热活动非常活跃，这将有助于促进生命。

B | 维拉诺瓦大学的天体物理学家爱德华·桂南在美国天文学会第223届年会上说，核热活动可能支持地表下的“生命带”，这种现象类似于南极洲地下湖泊中的现象。我们注意到欧罗巴的表面温度与巴纳德B的相似，由于潮汐加热，欧罗巴冰的表面下可能有一个液态海洋。

C | 他还指出，如果存在水，核热活动（火山羽流、火山口等）可能在冰面下形成液态水的“生活区”。

D | 它非常像结冰的欧罗巴卫星，它是由潮汐活动而不是地热能加热的。巴纳德的恒星系统将是我们未来研究和分析的重点。巴纳德最显著的特点是，它是离太阳最近的两个恒星系统之一，而且其中有行星。这项研究的共同作者斯科特·恩格尔强调，这项研究支持开普勒先前的任务数据，这些数据可以推断行星在整个星系中非常常见，可能高达数百亿颗。

E | 同时，巴纳德恒星的年龄大约是太阳的两倍——90亿年，而太阳的年龄是46亿年。

F | 宇宙要想形成地球大小的行星需要很长的时间，甚至比太阳现在的年龄还要长。巴纳德B是地球质量的三倍，绕着红矮星巴纳德运行233天。它的轨道距离与水星绕太阳的轨道距离大致相同。当它经过巴纳德星球的雪线时，它变暗了。”这些观测将帮助我们了解大气层、表面结构和系外行星的潜在生存能力，”恩格尔说。虽然巴纳德B的表面温度约为零下150摄氏度，但科学家们仍然相信，地球冰冻表面下的液态水区域可能是生命形式的滋生地。外行星是一颗岩石行星，至少是地球的3.2倍大。巴纳德距离地球只有六光年，在天文距离上非常接近，它的亮度是太阳的0.0035倍。离太阳最近的恒星是半人马座α星，它由离地球四光年的三颗引力束缚的恒星组成。

G | 据报道，巴纳德B行星的存在是通过使用不同的陆基望远镜和天文仪器20年来发现的。其中之一是西班牙卡门尼天文台最先进的行星探测器。即使是今天最强大的望远镜也不能直接成像巴纳德B。巴纳德星的名字来自于1916年发现它的耶克斯天文台的爱德华·艾默生·巴纳德。虽然巴纳德离地球只有六光年远，但它是人类肉眼看不见的。如果你把半人马座阿尔法星系的三颗恒星作为一个单位，那么巴纳德是离地球第二近的恒星。这是一颗暗的，低质量的M4矮星，亮度只有太阳的0.0035倍。

H | 相关辐射数据表明，它的直径仅为太阳直径的20%，质量仅为太阳最近恒星的17%。

I | 大多数恒星属于M矮星，它们很弱，很难用肉眼观察，就像半人马座的邻居一样。巴纳德的明星都很老了。他们是在恒星爆炸怀孕期间出生的。

J | 当时，星际金属含量已达到目前的水平，星际金属含量仅为太阳含量的10%。它的年龄也证实了它有一个更长的旋转周期130天。随着年龄的增长，其转速逐渐减慢。相反，太阳自转周期平均为25.4天，相当于巴纳德恒星自转周期的五分之一。巴纳德恒星仍有一些磁场活动，偶尔会有磁场能量释放的耀斑。它有一个像太阳一样活跃的X射线日冕，最高温度为200万摄氏度。巴纳德恒星内部的低温条件和微弱的能量产生率使它成为一颗不可思议的“长寿星”。