Wolf–Rayet stars

evolved, massive star that has run out of hydrogen

planetary nebula in the constellation Cepheus

thumb|upright=1.4|European Southern Observatory|ESO image of hypernova [[SN 1998bw in a spiral arm of galaxy ESO 184-G82]] A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded by an accretion disk. It is a type of stellar explosion that ejects material with an unusually high kinetic energy, an order of magnitude higher than most supernovae, with a luminosity at least 10 times greater. Hypernovae release

R136a1 (short for RMC 136a1) is the most massive and luminous star known, at around 291 solar masses () and around 7.2 million times the Sun's luminosity (). It is a Wolf–Rayet star at the center of R136, the central concentration of stars of the large NGC 2070 open cluster in the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The cluster can be seen in the far southern celestial hemisphere with binoculars or a small telescope, at magnitude 7.25. R136a1 itself is 100 times fainter than the cluster and can only be resolved using speckle interferometry. ==Discovery== thumb|left|upr

planetary nebula in the constellation of Carina

planetary nebula

star system in the constellation Vela

star system

star in the constellation Sagitta

star cluster in the Milky Way

star in the constellation Sagittarius

star in the constellation Carina

star in the constellation Carina

star

binary star

R136c is a likely binary star located in R136, a tight knot of stars at the centre of NGC 2070, an open cluster weighing 450,000 solar masses and containing 10,000 stars. At and 3.8 million , it is one of the most massive stars known and one of the most luminous, along with being one of the hottest, at over . It was first resolved and named by Feitzinger in 1980, along with R136a and R136b.

star in the constellation Dorado

star in the constellation Sagittarius

R136a2 (RMC 136a2) is a Wolf-Rayet star residing near the center of the R136, the central concentration of stars of the large NGC 2070 open cluster in the Tarantula Nebula, a massive H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud which is a nearby satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It has one of the highest confirmed masses and luminosities of any known star, at about and =5.25 million respectively.

triple star system in the constellation Tucana

star in the constellation Cygnus

binary star in the constellation Carina

triple-star system in the constellation Norma; the best known gamma-ray burst progenitor candidate

star in the constellation Dorado

BAT99-98 is a Wolf–Rayet star located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, in NGC 2070 near the R136 cluster in the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus). At estimates of and , it is one of the most massive known stars, and close to one of the most luminous stars currently known.

star

Star

binary star in the Canis Major constellation

variable star in the constellation Musca

R136a3 is a Wolf–Rayet star in R136, a massive star cluster located in Dorado. It is located near R136a1, the most massive and luminous star known. R136a3 is itself one of the most massive and most luminous stars known at about 184 times more massive and 5 million times more luminous than the Sun.

infrared and radio emitting object near the galactic centre

star in the constellation Carina

star in the constellation Cygnus

Star in the constellation Carina

wolf-Rayet star in the constellation of Cygnus

star in the constellation Canis Major

star in the constellation Dorado

star in the constellation Carina

Star in the constellation Crux

Wolf-Rayet star, part of the SBC9 1232 binary system

star in the constellation Crux

star in the constellation Carina

Star in the constellation Carina

AB7, also known as SMC WR7, is a binary star in the Small Magellanic Cloud. A Wolf–Rayet star and a supergiant companion of spectral type O orbit in a period of 19.56 days. The system is surrounded by a ring-shaped nebula known as a bubble nebula.