美国国家航空航天管理局的斯必泽太空望远镜拍下的这张图像显示了银河系中心区域的“牡丹星云星”（上面方框内圈住的圆点）。这个燃烧的气体圆球目前在银河系所发现的恒星中亮度属第二。
Star Vies to be Brightest
| A known star has reemerged on the scene as the second brightest in our galaxy and may in fact be the brightest. |
在我们的星系中，一颗已知恒星重新出现在视野内，在亮度上属第二，实际上也许属第一。 |
| The "Peony nebula star" shines as brightly as 3.2 million suns, but lurked in obscurity among interstellar gas and dust in the central region of the Milky Way — until now. |
“牡丹星云星”的闪烁亮度相当于太阳的320万倍。不过，它以前潜伏起来，朦朦胧胧地处于银河系中心区域的星际气体与尘埃之中，直到目前才重现光彩。 |
| NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope used infrared vision to scope out the star behind the Peony nebula's reddish cloud of dust. The European Southern Observatory's New Technology Telescope in Chile also used infrared vision to see the star's true power behind its dusty veil. |
美国国家航空航天管理局的斯必泽太空望远镜利用红外线视镜，发现了隐藏在牡丹星云微红色尘埃团中的这颗恒星。智利欧洲南方天文台的新技术望远镜也是利用红外线视镜，透过尘埃遮蔽层观察到这颗恒星的真正威力。 |
| Other stars are much brighter as seen from Earth, but that's because of their proximity. Both distance and dust served to shelter the Peony nebula star from Earth observers 26,000 light years away. |
从地球上看来，其他恒星要明亮得多，但那是由于近距离造成的。距离和尘埃都可以起到遮挡牡丹星云的作用，挡住了2.6万光年以外地球观测者的视线。 |
| The newcomer is thought to fall short of the current brightest star, Eta Carina, which blazes with the light of 4.7 million suns. But astronomers hold out the possibility that the Peony nebular star may prove even brighter, if they could just get a better look at it. |
科学家们认为，这颗新发现的恒星目前还达不到最为明亮的恒星——“Eta船底星”的亮度，Eta船底星发出的光亮相当于470万个太阳。但是天文学家们称，如果能够看得更清楚一点，就有可能证实“牡丹星云星”更为明亮。 |
| They also suspect that other bright talent may lurk in the star-packed region, which suggests a new star search is in order. |
天文学家们还认为：可能有另外一颗光彩夺目的恒星也潜伏在这个挤满恒星的区域，同时也预示着新一轮的恒星搜寻活动已经就绪。 |
| "There are probably other stars just as bright if not brighter in our galaxy that remain hidden from view," said Lidia Oskinova, astronomer at Potsdam University in Germany. |
“在我们的星系中，如果说没有更为明亮的恒星了， 那么也很可能会存在同样明亮的其他恒星，只不过是仍然处于我们的视野之外，”德国波茨坦大学的天文学家利迪亚·奥斯基努娃说。 |
