The Five Hottest Stars In The Universe
Stars come in a wide variety of different types. Stars are classified based on their mass and temperature, as these two characteristics will determine other factors, such as gravity and luminosity. The temperature of the stars has a very large range, with lower mass stars being colder and higher mass stars being hotter. Most of the hottest known stars in the universe belong to a very specific, and rare, class of star called Wolf-Rayet stars. What are the five hottest stars ever discovered?
1: WR 102
The star designated WR 102 is the hottest known star in the universe. WR 102 is also one of the most unique stars in the universe. It is defined as a Wolf-Rayet star, which are among the largest, hottest stars in the universe. Furthermore, WR 102 contains a high amount of oxygen, adding to its uniqueness among other Wolf-Rayet stars. In fact, astronomers have only ever discovered ten other stars with compositions similar to WR 102. The surface temperature of WR 102 is estimated to be 377,540 degrees Fahrenheit (209,727 degrees Celsius), making it the hottest known star in the universe. It is located approximately 8,480 light years away in the constellation Sagittarius and is nearly 300,000 times brighter than the sun.
2: WR 142
WR 142 is similar to WR 102. Both are oxygen-rich Wolf-Rayet stars, two of only ten known in the entire universe. As a Wolf-Rayet star, WR 142 is one of the hottest known stars in the universe with a surface temperature of 359,540 degrees Fahrenheit (199,727 degrees Celsius). WR 142 is located around 4,000 light years away in the constellation Cygnus and is around 200,000 times brighter than the sun.
3: LMC195-1
The star LMC195-1 is another oxygen-rich Wolf-Rayet star. This particular star is located just outside the Milky Way in one of our galaxy’s satellite galaxies called the Large Magellanic Cloud some 160,000 light years away. LMC195-1 is somewhat of a mysterious star as it is currently enshrouded in a dense cloud of stellar material, called a nebula, making observations of this particular star rather difficult. Its actual luminosity, mass, and true distance remain unknown, and its surface temperature is only an estimate. The surface temperature of LMC195-1 is estimated to be around 360,000 degrees Fahrenheit (200,000 degrees Celsius), and is likely only slightly less than the surface temperature of WR 142.
4: BAT99-123
BAT99-123 is another oxygen-rich Wolf-Rayet star that is also one of the hottest known stars in the universe. Located around 160,000 light years away, BAT99-123 has an estimated surface temperature of 305,540 degrees Fahrenheit (169,727 degrees Celsius). BAT99-123 is around 158,000 times brighter than the sun.
5: WR 93b
WR 93b is a Wolf-Rayet star located in the constellation Scorpius around 7,470 light years away. It is one of only four oxygen-rich Wolf-Rayet stars in the Milky Way, making it among the rarest stars in the universe. The surface temperature of WR 93b is around 287,540 degrees Fahrenheit (159,727 degrees Celsius). WR 93b is 110,000 times brighter than the sun is currently in the final stages of its life. Astronomers estimate that sometime in the next 8,000 years, WR 93b will likely explode as a supernova.
