Sheffield astronomers five nine new stars 30 million times brighter than the sun
Sheffield astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to find a group of nine massive stars 30 million times brighter than the sun.
An international team, led by astronomers from Sheffield University, said the cluster, 170,000 light years from earth, is the largest group of ‘very massive stars’ identified to date.
The discovery raises many new questions about the formation of massive stars and also highlights the continuing capabilities of the now ageing Hubble Space Telescope.
The team said the young cluster includes nine monster stars which are more than 100 times the mass of the sun and dozens of stars exceeding 50 solar masses.