The most massive star known in the universe has been discovered and "weighed," astronomers announced today.The star, part of a binary system, topped the scales at 114 times the mass of the Sun.
Though astronomers suspected that stars with masses up to 150 times the mass of the Sun must exist, this discovery marks the first time a star has broken the 100-solar-mass barrier. The previous record holder was only a measly 83 solar masses.
The newly weighed star, known simply as A1, is the brightest hot star at the heart of a giant, but dense, young star cluster called NGC 3603, which lies 20,000 light-years from Earth. The star's companion has a mass 84 times that of the Sun.
Link & Image: USA Today
Tags: Star | Mass | Astronomy | Space
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