许多黑洞和中子星等天体被认为隐藏在银河系中，由于它们不能发出可见光，或是隐藏在尘埃后面，只有通过X射线太空望远镜才能观测到。
China will soon launch its first X-ray space telescope, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), with the aim of surveying the Milky Way to observe celestial sources of X-rays.
中国很快将发射其第一颗X射线太空望远镜——硬X射线调制望远镜(HXMT)，以观察银河系从而监测天体的X射线源。
"Our space telescope has unique capabilities to observe high-energy celestial bodies such as black holes and neutron stars. We hope to use it to resolve mysteries such as the evolution of black holes and the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars," says Zhang Shuangnan, lead scientist of HXMT and director of the Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
中国科学院粒子天体物理实验室的负责人、HXMT的首席科学家张双南表示，“我们的太空望远镜有独特的能力来观察如黑洞和中子星等高能天体，我们希望用它来解决诸如黑洞的演化和中子星的强磁场等问题”。
"We are looking forward to discovering new activities of black holes and studying the state of neutron stars under extreme gravity and density conditions, and the physical laws under extreme magnetic fields. These studies are expected to bring new breakthroughs in physics," says Zhang.
他说，“我们期待着在极端重力和密度条件下发现黑洞的新活动、研究中子星的状态，以及在极端磁场下的物理定律。这些研究有望为物理学带来新的突破。”
Compared with X-ray astronomical satellites of other countries, HXMT has larger detection area, broader energy range and wider field of view. These give it advantages in observing black holes and neutron stars emitting bright X-rays, and it can more efficiently scan the galaxy, Zhang says.
他表示，与其他国家的x射线天文卫星相比，HXMT具有更大的探测面积、更广泛的能量范围和更广阔的视野，这使得它在观察黑洞和中子星发射出的x射线方面更有优势，而且它能更有效地扫描星系。
The telescope will work on wide energy range from 1 to 250 keV, enabling it to complete many observation tasks previously requiring several satellites, according to Zhang.
张介绍，HXMT能在1至250 keV的宽能量范围内工作，它能够完成以前需要几颗卫星才能完成的观测任务。
Other satellites have already conducted sky surveys, and found many celestial sources of X-rays. However, the sources are often variable, and occasional intense flares can be missed in just one or two surveys, Zhang says.
他说，其他卫星已经进行了天空监测，发现了许多天体的x射线源。然而，这些来源往往是可变的，偶尔有强烈的耀斑有可能在一两项调查中被遗漏。
New surveys can discover either new X-ray sources or new activities in known sources. So HXMT will repeatedly scan the Milky Way for active and variable celestial bodies emitting X-rays.
新的观测可以发现新的x射线源或已知来源的新活动。因此，HXMT将会反复扫描银河系中的活跃和可变天体发射的x射线。
Zhang says other countries have launched about 10 X-ray satellites, but they have different advantages and therefore different observation focuses.
他说其他国家已经发射了大约10颗x射线卫星，不过它们有着不同的优势，因而有不同的观测重点。
"There are so many black holes and neutron stars in the universe, but we don’t have a thorough understanding of any of them. So we need new satellites to observe more," Zhang says.
他表示，“宇宙中有着大量的黑洞和中子星，我们却对它们没有全面的认识。因此，我们需要新的卫星来观察更多。”
How do the black holes or neutron stars accrete matter from companion stars? What causes X-ray flares? These are questions scientists want to answer, and China’s new space telescope might help.
黑洞和中子星是如何从伴星中形成的?导致x射线耀斑的原因是什么?这些都是科学家们想要回答的问题，而中国新的太空望远镜可能会有所帮助。
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