Astronomers Crack Mystery of the 'Monster' Stars

[Fairygirl]

In 2010 scientists discovered four ‘monster’ sized stars, with the heaviest more than 300 times as massive as our Sun. Despite their incredible luminosity, these exotic objects, located in the giant star cluster R136 in the nearby galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud; have oddly so far been found nowhere else. Now a group of astronomers at the University of Bonn have a new explanation: the ultramassive stars were created from the merger of lighter stars in tight binary systems. Read full story

 

[Doc]

Very interesting FG.

This is one of those things that I suspect will evolve and change as they learn more. It amazes me that they can study a galaxy 160,000 light years away.

This description of how they are formed reminds me of what has been called the big bang theory.

Imagine two bulky stars closely circling each other but where the duo gets pulled apart by the gravitational attraction from their neighbouring stars. If their initially circular orbit is stretched enough, then the stars crash into each other as they pass and make a single ultramassive star”, Sambaran explains.

“Although extremely complicated physics is involved when two very massive stars collide, we still find it quite convincing that this explains the monster stars seen in the Tarantula”, says Banerjee.

“This helps us relax,” concludes Kroupa, “Because the collisions mean that the ultramassive stars are a lot easier to explain. The universality of star formation prevails after all.”

 

[Fairygirl]

Very interesting FG.

This is one of those things that I suspect will evolve and change as they learn more. It amazes me that they can study a galaxy 160,000 light years away.

This description of how they are formed reminds me of what has been called the big bang theory.

I agree. I think astronomy is fascinating. It takes a lot of imagination to envision celestial objects and how they work...and they are always discovering something new