R136a2
Wolf-Rayet star (WN5h) · RMC 136a2 · BAT99 109
Among the most massive stars known
A near-twin to its monstrous neighbour R136a1, and one of the most massive stars ever weighed. It sits in the dense core of the R136 cluster, where a handful of giants pour out most of the whole region's light.
Illustration generated from temperature, not a photograph
151 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
5.2 million ×
as bright as the Sun
47,000 K
surface · blue
35 R☉
radius (the Sun = 1)
163,000 ly
from Earth
12.3
apparent magnitude
It pours out about 5.2 million times the Sun’s light. Its light has been travelling 163,000 years to reach us, so you see R136a2 as it was 163,000 years ago.
Source · Brands et al. 2022, A&A 663, A36 · View on Wikidata
It lives in
Large Magellanic Cloud
Irregular galaxy, 163,000 ly away.
Other notable stars in Large Magellanic Cloud
R136a1Wolf-Rayet star (WN5h)Melnick 42O-type supergiant (O2 If)VFTS 682Wolf-Rayet star (WN5h)HD 269810O-type giant (O2 III)Melnick 34Wolf-Rayet binary (WN5h + WN5h)S DoradusLuminous blue variable
Stars of similar brightness
Eta CarinaeLuminous blue variable4.0 million ×R136a1Wolf-Rayet star (WN5h)7.2 million ×Melnick 42O-type supergiant (O2 If)3.6 million ×VFTS 682Wolf-Rayet star (WN5h)3.2 million ×HD 269810O-type giant (O2 III)2.2 million ×HD 5980Wolf-Rayet + blue-variable system2.2 million ×
Worlds in the same direction on the sky→