Massive Star Is Actually Two Sperate Stars

A monster star thought to be among the most massive in
our Milky Way galaxy is actually slimmer than expected
because it’s actually a pair of twins, astronomers
announced today.

Researchers once believed the star known as Pismis 24-1
loomed large with a mass between 200 and 300 times that
of the Sun.
But more accurate measurements by the Hubble Space
Telescope found not one, but two stars in Pismis 24-1’s
location, effectively cutting the estimated weight in half to
about 100 solar masses.

Pismis 24-1 sits in star cluster at the core of the emission
nebula NGC 6357 some 8,000 light-years from Earth
towards the constellation Sagittarius.

It’s possible that Pismis 24-1 may include a third star
based on some ground observations, Hubble researchers
added.
If true, each of the three stars would average about 70
stellar masses, but remain on the Top 25 roster of the
Milky Way’s most massive stars.


SOURCE:
Space.com

I found this very interesting.

Admittedly, it's not something that is interesting to everyone,
but I think that these kinds of finds are cool, since they expand
our knowledge base, and show that what we think we see is'nt
always what it truly is, atleast with long range astronomical
observations like this.


Comments, Opinions?

I don't care if their size has been reduced. That's still a big freaking star. Could you imagine if the sun was 100 times more massive than it is now? Could you imagine THAT SIGHT IN THE DAYTIME SKY?! Holy crap. Pluto would melt. Awesome...simply awesome. Kinda would make your sun visor useless, wouldn't it?

[edit on 11-12-2006 by ChocoTaco369]