ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Astronomy

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the brightest star of all?

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
July 16, 2008 - Updated on October 25, 2022
in Astronomy, Discoveries, Space
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Stellar clashes around Milky Way’s galactic center and black hole produces rejuvenated ‘zombie’ stars
How Stellar Winds of Dying Stars Are Shaped
A star is born [great pics]
NASA finds new exoplanet that orbits three different suns

star

Actually, it’s not about the brightest star of all, but the brightest star in our galaxy. It seems there’s a new contender for the title of Milky Way brightest star; it’s near its dusty center, and infrared observations performed by NASA have revealed how bright it is by piercing the dust that surrounds it.

The thing is that measuring brightness is not an exact field and sometimes results vary. This challenger is estimated to shine at the wattage of 3.2 million Suns, while the current record holder, Eta Carinae, has over 4 million Suns. Despite the fact that current calculations show that Eta Carinae will still hold the record, things are not so clear. This was the case when it was the challenger, and the record holder was the Pistol Star.

At the moment, Eta Carinae is the most massive nearby star that can be studied in great detail and it is believed that it will become a supernova in the nearby future (nearby in astrological time). Stars of its type have the mass of “just” 100 times the mass of the Sun, and they produce more than a million times as much light as the Sun, but they are quite rare. Just several are known in the whole galaxy. Scientists have studied it for a long time, because it is believed that GAMMA-RAY bursts produced by the collapse of massive stars may have triggered mass extinctions on Earth. They have been worried that this might be the case for Eta Carinae, but it is currently believed that this will not happen, because its axis is not pointed towards our planet.

Both Eta Carinae and the Peony nebula star (challenger) are evolved blue giants known as “Wolf-Rayet” stars, which have masses of 100 to 200 Suns. Either could self-destruct as a supernova at any moment.
“As we get better measurements, these things change around a bit,” says Michelle Thaller at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, who was not involved in the study. “These are real drivers of a galaxy’s life cycle, when these things go off, they will probably kick off a new generation of stars.”

Tags: Eta CarinaePeony nebula starstarswolf rayet

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

News

A Nearby Star Sings a Stellar Tune, and Scientists can Hear Its Age

byTudor Tarita
1 week ago
News

Giant Planet Was Just Caught Falling Into Its Star and It Changes What We Thought About Planetary Death

byTudor Tarita
4 weeks ago
Biology

Mind-Blowing Calculation Shows Living Cells Outnumber All the Stars and Grains of Sand — By far

byTibi Puiu
6 months ago
News

Betelgeuse may have an unseen companion star called “Betelbuddy” that could explain its strange behavior

byTibi Puiu
7 months ago

Recent news

This Startup Is Using Ancient DNA to Recreate Perfumes from Extinct Flowers

May 21, 2025

Jupiter Was Twice Its Size and Had a Magnetic Field 50 Times Stronger After the Solar System Formed

May 21, 2025

How One Man and a Legendary Canoe Rescued the Dying Art of Polynesian Navigation

May 21, 2025 - Updated on May 22, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.