Very High-Mass Stars main content.

Very High-Mass Stars

Part of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe.

Diagram of Very High-Mass Stars (20–100 times that of Sun) from star exhibition AMNH/D. Finnin

Exhibition Text

20 to 100 Times the Sun’s Mass

In any batch of newly formed stars, the most massive ones are the rarest and shortest lived. Only one in about five hundred thousand stars has more than twenty times the mass of the Sun. In spite of their rarity, these stars are so luminous that they are easily seen at great distances.

For Educators

Topic: Astronomy

Subtopic: Stars