Most Luminous Star Known Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified what may be the most luminous star known - a celestial titan that releases up to 10 million times the power of the Sun and is big enough to fill the diameter of Earth's orbit. The Pistol Star is invisible to the naked eye because it is hidden 25,000 light-years away behind great dust clouds in the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. Astronomers estimate that the star produces as much energy in six seconds as our Sun does in one year and may be the missing link between normal hot stars and exotic, very large ones. Great Nebula Born up to three million years ago, the Pistol Star may have weighed up to 200 times the mass of the Sun before shedding much of its weight in violent eruptions that began about 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. These eruptions may have created the brilliant, extremely large, pistol-shaped nebula that surrounds it.
Dramatic End Burning at such a dramatic rate, the star is destined for a short life and abrupt end.
The star will continue to lose more material, eventually revealing its bare hot core sizzling at 100,000 degrees. In comparison, our Sun is halfway through its 10 billion year lifetime. Scientists believe the Pistol could die in a spectacular supernova at any time in the next three million years. An explosive death of a massive star whose tremendous energy output causes its expanding debris to glow brightly for weeks or months afterwards. Fast Facts Location Near the center of our Milky Way Galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius Distance from Earth 25,000 light-years Size Large enough to fill the diameter of Earth's orbit Electronic Addresses You can get images and other information about the Hubble Space Telescope using the Internet.