Astronomers detect 'monster' stars

22/07/2010

A team of international astronomers has found "monster" stars, which weigh up to 300 times the mass of our own sun.
The experts, led by the University of Sheffield's Professor Paul Crowther, detected the stars with the help of the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope. They were found within two young star clusters - NGC 3603 and RMC 136a.
The R136a1 is said to be the most massive star ever found. It is about 10 million times brighter, and with a mass 265 times larger, than the sun.
Prof Crowther, from the university's Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: "Unlike humans, these stars are born heavy and lose weight as they age. Being a little over a million-years-old, the most extreme star R136a1 is already 'middle-aged' and has undergone an intense weight loss programme, shedding a fifth of its initial mass over that time, or more than fifty solar masses.
"Owing to the rarity of these monsters, I think it is unlikely that this new record will be broken any time soon."
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