The Massive Stars in Westerlund 1
Explanation:
Star cluster Westerlund 1 is home to some of the largest and most massive stars known.
It is headlined by the star
Westerlund 1-26,
a red supergiant star so big that if placed in the center of
our Solar System, it would extend out past the orbit of
Jupiter.
Additionally, the young star cluster is home to 3 other
red supergiants,
6 yellow hypergiant
stars,
24
Wolf-Rayet stars,
and several even-more unusual stars that continue to be studied.
Westerlund 1 is relatively
close-by for a star cluster at a distance of 15,000
light
years,
giving
astronomers
a good laboratory to study the development of massive stars.
The featured image
of Westerlund 1 was taken by the
Hubble Space Telescope toward the southern
constellation of the
Altar (Ara).
Although presently classified as a "super"
open cluster,
Westerlund 1 may evolve into a low mass
globular cluster
over the next billion years.
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
