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Article: Megastar!(astronomers study an extremely bright star called Piston Star)(includes related information on the history of the Hubble Space Telescope)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- December 8, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Astronomers get their first close look at what may be the brightest star in the galaxy. And they're totally dazzled by what they've see.
It blazes with the light of 10 million Suns. It spans at least 300 kilometers (186 million miles) in diameter--so huge it would stretch from the Sun to the Earth's orbit. It may be the brightest star ever seen in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Unbelievable? Some astronomers thought so too--until three months ago.
Last September the Hubble Space Telescope transmitted vivid photos from space of what could be the Milky Way's most luminous star. Astronomers have dubbed it "Pistol Star," for the gun shape of its nebula, or ...