Central object of the 30 Doradus Nebula, a supermassive star

Journal Article · Fri Jun 26 04:00:00 EDT 1981 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.212.4502.1497· OSTI ID:5790408

Cassinelli, J P; Mathis, J S; Savage, B D

R136 (HD 38268) is the central object of the 30 Doradus Nebula, a giant region of ionized hydrogen in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Observations of R136 at low and high spectral resolution with the International Ultraviolet Explorer reveal a peculiar hot object with a massive stellar wind. An outflow speed of 3500 kilometers per second and a temperature of approximately 60,000 K are indicated by the spectra. The bulk of the observed ultraviolet radiation must come from R136a, the brightest and bluest component of R136. Its absolute visual magnitude and observed temperature imply a luminosity about 10/sup 8/ times that of the sun. Most of the ionizations produced in 30 Doradus are provided by this peculiar object. If R136a is a dense cluster of very hot stars, about 30 stars of classes 03 and WN3 exist in a region estimated to have a diameter of less than 0.1 parsec. This is inconsistent with the ultraviolet line spectrum and the evidence for optical variability. An alternative interpretation of the observations is that the radiation from R136a is dominated by a single superluminous object with the following approximate properties: luminosity and temperature as given above, a radius 100 times that of the sun, a mass 2500 times that of the sun, and a loss rate of 10/sup -3/ /sup 5/ solar masses per year. Model interior calculations for hydrogen-burning stars are consistent with these parameters. Such stars, however, are expected to be unstable, and this may account for the massive stellar wind.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison
• OSTI ID: 5790408
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 212; ISSN SCIEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
640105 -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
H2 REGIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LUMINOSITY
MASS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
SIZE
SPECTRA
STABILITY
STAR MODELS
STARS
STELLAR WINDS
SUPERMASSIVE STARS
ULTRAHIGH TEMPERATURE
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA