Most luminous star
- Who
- N/A
- What
- 6,170,000 total number
- Where
- Not Applicable
Adjusting for distance, the most luminous star known is RMC 136a1. It shines 6,170,000 times more brightly than the sun, but due to its distance from Earth (160,000 light years away, in the Large Magellanic Cloud) it is so dim from Earth that only professional telescopes are able to observe it.
RMC 136a1 is also one of the most massive stars known to date, with a mass roughly 215 times that of our sun, and is a member of a large cluster of over 200 luminous stars. It is expected that at the end of its life this star will explode in a supernova explosion.
Measured in solar luminosities