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Scientists Discover Biggest Star

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the bigger-than-miley dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "Scientists at the University of Sheffield have discovered the most massive stellar giant, R136a1 measured at 265 solar masses, using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile and data from the Hubble Space Telescope. It's in the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small 'satellite' galaxy which orbits the Milky Way. Previously, the heaviest known stars were around 150 times the mass of the Sun, known as the 'Eddington Limit,' and this was believed to be close to the cosmic size limit because as stars get larger, the amount of energy created in their cores grows faster than the force of gravity which holds them together. 'Because of their proximity to the Eddington Limit they lose mass at a pretty high rate,' says Professor Paul Crowther, the chief researcher in the Sheffield team. Hyper-stars like R136a1 are believed to be formed from several young stars merging together, and are only found in the very heart of stellar clusters. R136a1 is believed to have a surface temperature of more than 40,000 degrees Celsius, and is 10 million times brighter than the Sun. Crowther adds that R136a1 is about as big as stars can get. 'Owing to the rarity of these monsters, I think it is unlikely that this new record will be broken any time soon.'"

16 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. You think that's big!?!?!? by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Owing to the rarity of these monsters, I think it is unlikely that this new record will be broken any time soon.""

    Owing to the size of the universe, I think it is likely that this new record will be broken sometime soon.

    Two theories, now let's sit back and see who's right!

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    1. Re:You think that's big!?!?!? by Killer+Instinct · · Score: 2, Funny

      "In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they are not."

      --
      #include bier;
    2. Re:You think that's big!?!?!? by v1k · · Score: 5, Funny

      >intuition that the Universe is a big place.

      Dude, the universe is a big place. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the drug store, but that's just peanuts to the universe.

    3. Re:You think that's big!?!?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      thank you for that insightful commentary. Until now, I had assumed that the universe was no more than twice as big as the distance from my house to the drug store, since that seemed pretty big to me. Now, where do I get my peanuts?

    4. Re:You think that's big!?!?!? by Psmylie · · Score: 5, Funny

      Now, where do I get my peanuts?

      Depends on how ambitious you're feeling. If you'd prefer not to venture out into the vastness of space, I'd suggest checking between and under the couch cushions.

      --

      psmylie's dictionary: Godzillion (noun) Any number large enough to destroy Tokyo

    5. Re:You think that's big!?!?!? by bunratty · · Score: 2, Funny

      You've just given me flashbacks to my time in the total perspective vortex, you insensitive clod!

      --
      What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
    6. Re:You think that's big!?!?!? by ceraphis · · Score: 2, Funny

      Pah, no luck needed. The infinite improbability drive guarantees getting the babel fish. And the peanuts.

  2. Pretty cool but... by elocinanna · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anyone could find something if it's that big! Wake me up when they find the smallest one! :p

    1. Re:Pretty cool but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Here's a list of all the smallest known stars.

    2. Re:Pretty cool but... by An+ominous+Cow+art · · Score: 3, Funny

      Is this the joke thread? Ok, here's mine...

      Twinkle, twinkle, really freaking big star...

  3. Unhealthy Universe? by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Clearly obesity is not just a problem on earth.

    --
    It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  4. Yo momma so fat ... by jbeaupre · · Score: 4, Funny

    she breaks the Eddington limit! (sorry, couldn't help myself)

    --
    The world is made by those who show up for the job.
  5. what does 265 solar masses mean? by oddTodd123 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I need that in units I can comprehend:

    The mass of the sun is 1.99x10^30kg. The average mass of a book is 340g. There are 21,814,555 books cataloged by the Library of Congress. So, 265 solar masses * 1.99x10^30kg/solar mass * 1000g/kg / 340g/book / 21,814,555 books/LoC = 7.1x10^25LoC. Therefore, the new star is equivalent in mass to 71YLoC (yotta Libraries Of Congress). Wow, that's a big star!

    1. Re:what does 265 solar masses mean? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      And since the radius is about 30 times greater than the Sun's, R136a1's radius must be about 12964909.92 miles, which we can convert to 2111196448775450 square miles of surface area. That's roughly equal to 1759330373979.54 Rhode Islands! You're right, that star is HUGE!

  6. Oh noes, 265! by RegTooLate · · Score: 2, Funny

    256 solar masses should be enough for anyone.

  7. Re:Temperature on the surface of Sol by Locke2005 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Huge props to the guy that managed to stick a thermometer in it!

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.