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Telescope Finds Galaxy's Most Massive Star Yet

Posted February 04, 2010 8:27 AM

From Wired Discoveries:

This glowing stellar nursery is home to the most massive star yet found in the Milky Way galaxy. Captured by the European Southern Observatory's 27-foot-diameter Very Large Telescope at Cerro Paranal, Chile, the image above combines data taken with violet, red and infrared filters.

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Guru

Join Date: Aug 2005
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#1

Re: Telescope Finds Galaxy's Most Massive Star Yet

02/05/2010 4:12 AM

If you get past the: arguments; software adverts, and, justifiable wingeing about lack of identifying the actual position, in the comments there is a link to another good article on the find:-

"A1 is a blue double star, with two stars that orbit around each other once every 3.77 days. The most massive star, A1a) has an estimated mass of 116 solar masses, while its companion A1b) has a mass of 89 solar masses."


"The largest known star in our galaxy NGC 3603 A1 lies close to two other massive Wolf Rayet stars, here labelled B and C"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1248404/Pictured-The-cosmic-factory-created-largest-known-star-galaxy.html#ixzz0eeORBsLM

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#2

Re: Telescope Finds Galaxy's Most Massive Star Yet

02/06/2010 1:16 AM

I'm really getting tired of this crappy reporting.

The most massive star in the cluster is 116 times as massive as the sun.
The Pistol Star could be as much as 150 solar masses. So why, if objective reporting practices are being observed, did they say: This glowing stellar nursery is home to the most massive star yet found in the Milky Way galaxy. Instead of: This glowing stellar nursery is home to what could be the most massive star yet found in the Milky Way galaxy.

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