Space & Astronomy

Hubble observes cluster of 'monster' stars

By T.K. Randall
March 22, 2016

Image: Artist's Impression of the Hubble Space Telescope
Credit: Hubble ESA / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) Situated on the very edge of the Milky Way galaxy, these colossal stars, which include several previously unknown to astronomers, are over 100 times the mass of the sun.

"In just a tiny bit of this satellite galaxy, we see perhaps a couple of dozen stars with more than a 100 solar masses, of which nine are in a tight core just a few light-years across," said Prof Paul Crowther from Sheffield University. "But that two dozen number - that's probably more than are in the entire Milky Way Galaxy for this type of star."

It isn't exactly clear how such a concentrated group of large stars came to form so far out however Prof Crowther believes that it could be because the gas and dust became compressed when a nearby galaxy - the Large Magellanic Cloud - skirted the region.Given the high rate at which these giants are shedding mass and giving off energy however it is unlikely that they will survive for more than a few million years.

"A lot of these stars will be in binaries (in pairs), and when they die they'll produce black holes, which will merge at some point in the dim and distant future," he said.

"When they do they'll produce gravitational waves."

Source: BBC News

Tags: Hubble, Galaxy