List of most massive stars
This is an incomplete list of the most massive stars discovered.
Although O type stars are considered the most massive stars in the main sequence, evolved stars such as wolf-rayet stars and luminous blue variables can be just as massive or even more massive than them.
These stars are extremely luminous, observing them are very difficult because they are extremely rare and most of them are located in young star-forming regions very far away. Stars at larger distances can be hard to observe, the large amount of gas surrounding them can make them much harder to even be detected.
List
[change | change source]The stars in the list below are at least 100 solar masses.
1 solar mass = 1.989e+30 kg
 | This list is not complete; you can help by adding missing items. |
| Star name | Galaxy | Mass (in solar masses) |
Spectral type | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerhout 49-2 | Milky Way | 250±120 | O2-3.5If* | |
| BAT99-98 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 226 | N/A | |
| R136a1 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 196 | WN5h | |
| Melnick 42 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 189 | O2If* | |
| Westerhout 51-57 | Milky Way | 160 | O4V | |
| R136a3 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 155 | WN5h | |
| VFTS 682 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 153 | WN5h | |
| HD 15558 A | Milky Way | 152 | O5.5III(f) | |
| R136a2 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 151 | WN5h | |
| Melnick 34 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 147 | WN5h | |
| R136c | Large Magellanic Cloud | 142 | WN5h | |
| HD 97950 B | Milky Way | 132 | WN6h | |
| HD 269810 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 130 | O2III(f*) | |
| HD 97950 A1a | Milky Way | 120 | WN6h | |
| WR 24 | Milky Way | 114 | N/A | |
| Cygnus OB2#12 | Milky Way | 110 | B3-4Ia+ | Candidate LBV |
| HD 93129 | Milky Way | 110 | O2If* | |
| Westerhout 49-3 | Milky Way | 105 | O3-O7V | |
| R99 | Large Magellanic Cloud | 103 | LBV | |
| WR 102ka | Milky Way | 100 | Ofpe/WN9 | |
| Eta Carinae A | Milky Way | 100 | LBV |
The Sun has one solar mass.