User:Ejeidm123
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Right ascension | 17h 46m 27.60s[1] |
| Declination | −28° 46′ 11.80″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.9[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | Luminous blue variable |
| Spectral type | variable (LBV) |
| Astrometry | |
| Distance | 26,000 ly (8,500[3] pc) |
| Details | |
| Radius | 36.83 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 5,012,000 L☉ |
| Temperature | 39,500-45,000 K |
| Other designations | |
[MCD2010] 18, [DWC2011] 56 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
G0.238-0.071 is a highly luminous star in the southern constellation of Sagittarius, in the Galactic Center region. It is the most luminous star discovered within the Milky Way galaxy at 5 million L☉.
G0.238-0.071 is located near the Arches Cluster and Quintuplet Cluster and has similar properties to many of the stars present in the clusters, including the Pistol Star. The star is classified as a luminous blue variable, an extremely rare type of eruptive variable star with a high rate of mass loss that experiences large outbursts of mass loss at certain intervals. It has an estimated radius that is 36.83 times as large. While its bolometric luminosity is extremely high, the high level of dust in the vicinity of the Galactic Center and intervening spiral arms causes a high level of extinction, which decreases its visual magnitude greatly. The effective temperature of the stellar atmosphere can reach up to 45,000K, hence it is located in the extreme top left corner of the Hertzsprung-Russel Diagram.
The future of G0.238-0.071 depends on its mass loss. It is thought that stars this massive will never lose enough mass to avoid a catastrophic end. The result is likely to be a supernova, hypernova, gamma-ray burst, or perhaps almost no visible explosion, and leaving behind a black hole or neutron star. The exact details depend heavily on the timing and amount of the mass loss, with current models not fully reproducing observed stars, but the most massive stars in the local universe are expected to produce type Ib or Ic supernovae, sometimes with a gamma-ray burst, and leave behind a black hole. However, such massive stars are expected to end in pair-instability supernovae and leave behind no remnant at all.