How Big Can a Star Be?

Artist's Concept of the Arches Cluster

This artist's impression shows how the Arches star cluster appears from deep inside the hub of our Milky Way Galaxy. Although hidden from our direct view, the massive cluster lies 25,000 light-years away and is the densest known gathering of young stars in our galaxy. The...

A Comparison of Star Sizes

This illustration compares the different masses of stars. The lightest-weight stars are red dwarfs. They can be as small as one-twelfth the mass of our Sun. The heaviest-weight stars are blue-white super giants. They may get as large as 150 solar masses. Our Sun is between the...

Trio of Images of the Arches Cluster

These images of the Arches cluster, taken by three different telescopes, reveal progressively more detail in the tightly packed collection of about 2,000 stars. The Arches is the densest star cluster in our Milky Way Galaxy and resides in our galaxy's crowded core. Astronomers...

Arches Cluster: Lick 3m (1994)

Arches Cluster: Keck I 10m (1996)

The Milky Way's Densest Star Cluster: The Arches Cluster