List of most massive stars
This is a list of the most massive stars that have been discovered, in solar mass units.
Uncertainties and caveats
Most of the masses listed below are contested and, being the subject of current research, remain under review and subject to constant revision of their masses and other characteristics. Indeed, many of the masses listed in the table below are inferred from theory, using difficult measurements of the stars' temperatures, composition, and absolute brightnesses. All the masses listed below are uncertain: Both the theory and the measurements are pushing the limits of current knowledge and technology. Both theories and measurements could be incorrect.Complications with distance and obscuring clouds
Since massive stars are rare, astronomers must look very far from Earth to find them. All the listed stars are many thousands of light years away making their light especially faint, which makes measurements difficult. In addition to being far away, many stars of such extreme mass are surrounded by clouds of outflowing gas created by extremely powerful stellar winds; the surrounding gas interferes with the already difficult-to-obtain measurements of stellar temperatures and brightnesses, which greatly complicates the issue of estimating internal chemical compositions and structures.This obscuration leads to difficulties in determining the parameters needed to calculate the star's mass.
File:EtaCarinae.jpg|thumb|right|Eta Carinae is the bright spot hidden in the double-lobed dust cloud. It is the most massive star that has a Bayer designation. It was only discovered to be two stars in the past few decades.
Both the obscuring clouds and the great distances also make it difficult to judge whether the star is just a single supermassive object or, instead, a multiple star system. A number of the "stars" listed below may actually be two or more companions orbiting too closely for our telescopes to distinguish, each star possibly being massive in itself but not necessarily "supermassive" to either be on this list, or near the top of it.
And certainly other combinations are possible – for example a supermassive star with one or more smaller companions or more than one giant star – but without being able to clearly see inside the surrounding cloud, it is difficult to know what kind of object is actually generating the bright point of light seen from the Earth.
More globally, statistics on stellar populations seem to indicate that the upper mass limit is in the 120-solar-mass range, so any mass estimate above this range is suspect.
Rare reliable estimates
Eclipsing binary stars are the only stars whose masses are estimated with some confidence. However, note that almost all of the masses listed in the table below were inferred by indirect methods; only a few of the masses in the table were determined using eclipsing systems.Amongst the most reliable listed masses are those for the eclipsing binaries NGC 3603-A1, WR 21a, and WR 20a. Masses for all three were obtained from orbital measurements. This involves measuring their radial velocities and also their light curves. The radial velocities only yield minimum values for the masses, depending on inclination, but light curves of eclipsing binaries provide the missing information: inclination of the orbit to our line of sight.
Relevance of stellar evolution
Some stars may once have been more massive than they are today. Many large stars have likely suffered significant mass loss – perhaps as much as several tens of solar masses. The lost mass is expected to have been expelled by superwinds: high velocity winds that are driven by the hot photosphere into interstellar space. The process forms an enlarged extended envelope around the star that interacts with the nearby interstellar medium and infuses the adjacent volume of space with elements heavier than hydrogen or helium.There are also – or rather were – stars that might have appeared on the list but no longer exist as stars, or are supernova impostors; today we see only their debris. The masses of the precursor stars that fueled these destructive events can be estimated from the type of explosion and the energy released, but those masses are not listed here.
This list only concerns "living" stars – those which are still seen by Earth-based observers existing as active stars: Still engaged in interior nuclear fusion that generates heat and light. That is, the light now arriving at the Earth as images of the stars listed still shows them to internally generate new energy as of the time that light now being received was emitted. The list specifically excludes both white dwarfs – former stars that are now seen to be "dead" but radiating residual heat – and black holes – fragmentary remains of exploded stars which have gravitationally collapsed, even though accretion disks surrounding those black holes might generate heat or light exterior to the star's remains, radiated by infalling matter.
Mass limits
There are two related theoretical limits on how massive a star can possibly be: The accretion mass limit and the Eddington mass limit.- The accretion limit is related to star formation: After about have accreted in a protostar, the combined mass should have become hot enough for its heat to drive away any further incoming matter. In effect, the protostar reaches a temperature where it evaporates away material already collected as fast as it collects new material.
- The Eddington limit is based on light pressure from the core of an already-formed star: As mass increases past the intensity of light radiated from a Population I star's core will become sufficient for the light-pressure pushing outward to exceed the gravitational force pulling inward, and the surface material of the star will be free to float away into space. Since their different compositions make them more transparent, Population II and Population III stars have higher and much higher mass limits, respectively.
Accretion limits
Studying the Arches Cluster, which is currently the densest known cluster of stars in our galaxy, astronomers have confirmed that no stars in that cluster exceed about
Rare ultramassive stars that exceed this limit – for example in the R136 star cluster – might be explained by an exceptional event hypothesized to have occurred: some of the pairs of massive stars in close orbit in young, unstable multiple-star systems must, on rare occasions, collide and merge when certain unusual circumstances hold that make a collision possible.
Eddington mass limit
's limit on stellar mass arises because of light-pressure: For a sufficiently massive star the outward pressure of radiant energy generated by nuclear fusion in the star's core exceeds the inward pull of its own gravity. The lowest mass for which this effect is active is the Eddington limit.Stars of greater mass have a higher rate of core energy generation, and heavier stars' luminosities increase far out of proportion to the increase in their masses. The Eddington limit is the point beyond which a star ought to push itself apart, or at least shed enough mass to reduce its internal energy generation to a lower, sustainable rate. The actual limit-point mass depends on how opaque the gas in the star is, and metal-rich stars have lower mass limits than metal-poor stars. Before their demise, the hypothetical metal-free stars would have had the highest allowed mass, somewhere around
In theory, a more massive star could not hold itself together because of the mass loss resulting from the outflow of stellar material. In practice the theoretical Eddington Limit must be modified for high luminosity stars and the empirical Humphreys–Davidson limit is used instead.
List of the most massive known stars
| Wolf–Rayet star |
| Slash star |
| O-type star |
| B-type star or LBV |
The following two lists show a few of the known stars, including the stars in open clusters, and Despite their high luminosity, many of them are nevertheless too distant to be observed with the naked eye. Stars that are at least sometimes visible to the unaided eye have their apparent magnitude highlighted with a sky blue background.
The first list gives stars that are estimated to be or larger; the majority of which are shown. The second list includes some notable stars which are below for the purpose of comparison. The method used to determine each star's mass is included to give an idea of the data's uncertainty; note that the mass of binary stars can be determined far more accurately. The masses listed below are the stars' current mass, not their initial mass.
| Name | Location | M | L | Teff | Spectral type | Dist. | mV | Mass estimated by | Link | Refs |
| R136a1 | R136 | WN5h | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| W49-2 | W49 South | O2–3.5If* | 36,200 | evolution | ||||||
| BAT99-98 | NGC 2070 | WN6 | 165,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| R136a2 | R136 | WN5h | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Melnick 42 | R136 | O2If* | 163,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| R136a3 | R136 | WN5h | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| W51-57 | G49.5-0.4 | O4V | 20,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 15558 A | IC 1805 | O5.5III | 24,400 | combined | binary | |||||
| W51-3 | G49.5-0.4 | – | O3V–O8V | 20,000 | evolution | |||||
| Melnick 34 A | R136 | WN5h | 163,000 | combined | mass-luminosity relation | |||||
| VFTS 1022 | R136 | O3.5If*/WN7 | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| R136c | R136 | WN5h | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| LH 10-3209 A | NGC 1763 | O3III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 682 | Runaway from R136 | WN5h | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 506 | NGC 2070 | ON2V)) | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Melnick 34 B | R136 | WN5h | 163,000 | combined | mass-luminosity relation | |||||
| W51 | G49.5-0.4 | O3V–O4V | 20,000 | evolution | ||||||
| NGC 3603-B | HD 97950 | WN6h | 24,800 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 269810 | NGC 2029 | O2III | 163,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| W49-1 | W49 cluster 1 | O2–3.5If* | 36,200 | evolution | ||||||
| R136a7 | R136 | O3III | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| WR 42e | Runaway from HD 97950 | O3If*/WN6 | 25,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk -69° 249 A | NGC 2074 | O7If | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk -69° 212 | NGC 2044 | O5III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| ST5-31 | NGC 2074 | O3If* | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| R136a5 | R136 | O2If* | 157,000 | evolution | ||||||
| MSP 183 | Wd2 | O3V) | 20,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| WR 24 | Collinder 228 | WN6ha-w | 14,000 | ' | evolution | |||||
| NGC 3603-C1 | HD 97950 | WN6h | 24,800 | combined | evolution | |||||
| Arches-F9 | Arches Cluster | WN8-9h | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| VFTS 545 | R136 | O2If*/WN5 | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HSH95-36 | R136 | O2If* | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Cygnus OB2 #12 A | Cygnus OB2 | B3–4Ia+ | 5,200 | combined | spectroscopy | |||||
| Melnick 39 A | R136 | O3If*/WN6-A | 160,000 | combined | binary | |||||
| R136a4 | R136 | O3V) | 157,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 621 | NGC 2070 | O2V)z | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| W49-3 | W49 CC | O3–O7V | 36,200 | evolution | ||||||
| R99 | LH 49 | Ofpe/WN9 | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| Arches-F6 | Arches Cluster | WN8-9ha | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| Arches-F1 | Arches Cluster | WN8-9h | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| Peony Star | near Galactic Center | WN10 | 26,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 93129 Aa | Trumpler 14 | O2If* | 7,500 | combined | spectroscopy | |||||
| Mc30-1 A | Mercer 30 | O6–7.5If+ | 40,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 1028 | R136 | O3III or O4–5V | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| WR 25 A | Trumpler 16 | WN6h-w | 6,500 | combined | evolution | |||||
| BI 253 | Runaway from R136 | O2V-III) | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| R136a8 | R136 | O2–3V | 157,000 | evolution | ||||||
| W49-15 | W49 cluster 1 | O2–3.5If* | 36,200 | evolution | ||||||
| HM 1-6 | HM 1 | O5If | 11,000 | evolution | ||||||
| NGC 3603-42 | HD 97950 | O3III | 25,000 | evolution | ||||||
| ST2-22 | NGC 2044 | O3V) | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 562 | NGC 2070 | O4V | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| HD 97950 | O3If*/WN6 | 24,800 | combined | eclipsing binary | ||||||
| WR 21a A | Runaway from Wd2 | O2.5If*/WN6ha | 26,100 | combined | eclipsing binary | |||||
| HD 303308 | Trumpler 16 | O3V | 9,200 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 512 | NGC 2070 | O2V-III) | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| R136b | R136 | O4If | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 16 | Runaway from R136 | O2III-If* | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| NGC 346-W1 | NGC 346 | O5.5If | 200,000 | evolution | ||||||
| NGC 3603-A3 | HD 97950 | O3III | 24,800 | evolution | ||||||
| η Carinae A | Trumpler 16 | LBV | 7,500 | ' combined | spectroscopy | |||||
| R146 | Runaway from R136 | WN5ha | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| WR 89 | HM 1 | WN8h | 11,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Arches-F7 | Arches Cluster | WN8-9ha | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| R147 | Runaway from R136 | WN5h | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk 80 | NGC 346 | O7If | 200,000 | evolution | ||||||
| BAT99-92 B | Tarantula Nebula | B1Ia | 165,000 | combined | spectroscopy | |||||
| Sk -70° 91 | BSDL 1830 | ON2III | 165,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk -66° 172 | LH 95 | O2III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk -68° 137 | Runaway from R136 | O2III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| LH 64-16 | NGC 2001 | ON2III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| R136 | OC2.5If* | 163,000 | combined | evolution | ||||||
| Melnick 39 B | R136 | O3If*/WN6-A | 160,000 | combined | binary | |||||
| WR 20a A | Wd2 | WN6ha | 20,000 | combined | eclipsing binary | |||||
| Arches-F2 A | Arches Cluster | WN8–9h | 25,000 | eclipsing binary | ||||||
| R139 A | NGC 2070 | O6.5I | 163,000 | combined | evolution | |||||
| WR 20a B | Wd2 | WN6ha | 20,000 | combined | eclipsing binary | |||||
| Tr27-27 | Trumpler 27 | O8III) | 3,900 | evolution | ||||||
| HSH95-46 | R136 | O2-3III | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Arches-F15 | Arches Cluster | O6–7Ia+ | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| BI 237 | BSDL 2527 | O2V) | 165,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| VFTS 1017 | R136 | O2If*/WN5 | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 151 | TLD1 | O6.5IIp | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| VFTS 94 | NGC 2060 | O3.5Inf*p | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| VFTS 1018 | R136 | O3III | 163,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| LH 41-32 | NGC 1910 | 78 | O4III | 160,000 | evolution | |||||
| Pismis 24-17 | Pismis 24 | O3.5III | 5,900 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| LSS 4067 | HM 1 | O4If | 11,000 | evolution | ||||||
| W51-2 | G49.2-0.3 | – | O3V–O5V | 20,000 | evolution | |||||
| R139 B | NGC 2070 | O7I | 163,000 | combined | evolution | |||||
| NGC 346-W3 | NGC 346 | O2III | 200,000 | evolution | ||||||
| BAT99-68 | NGC 2044 | O3If*/WN7 | 165,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| HD 93632 | Collinder 228 | O5III | 10,000 | evolution | ||||||
| AB1 | DEM S10 | WN3ha | 197,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| VFTS 457 | NGC 2070 | O3.5If*/WN7 | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 38282 A | Runaway from R136 | WN5/6h | 163,000 | combined | binary | |||||
| BAT99-6 A | NGC 1747 | O3If*/WN7 | 165,000 | combined | spectroscopy | |||||
| VFTS 608 | NGC 2070 | O4III | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| HSH95-31 | R136 | O2V) | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Mc30-11 | Mercer 30 | O5.5-6I-II | 40,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| Mc30-3 | Mercer 30 | O6If | 40,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| VFTS 599 | NGC 2070 | O3III | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| NGC 2044-W35 | NGC 2044 | O4III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 542 | R136 | O2If*/WN5 | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 1021 | R136 | O4If+ | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| ST2-1 | NGC 2044 | O5.5III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 97950 | O3If*/WN5 | 24,800 | combined | eclipsing binary | ||||||
| Arches-F12 | Arches Cluster | WN7–8h | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| HD 37974 | NGC 2050 | B0.5Ia+ | 163,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| M33 X-7 B | Triangulum Galaxy | O7III–O8III | 2,700,000 | binary | ||||||
| QZ Carinae Aa1 | Collinder 228 | O9.7I | 9,200 | combined | quaternary | |||||
| VFTS 125 | NGC 2060 | Ope | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 38282 B | Runaway from R136 | WN6/7h | 163,000 | combined | binary | |||||
| HD 229059 | Berkeley 87 | B1Ia | 3,000 | evolution | ||||||
| ST2-32 | NGC 2044 | O5III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| ST2-3 | NGC 2044 | O5.5V | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| W28-23 | NGC 2033 | O3V | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 46150 | NGC 2244 | O5V)z | 5,200 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 93403 A | Carina OB1 | O5.5I | 10,400 | combined | evolution | |||||
| HSH95-47 | R136 | O2V) | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HSH95-48 | R136 | O2–3III | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 93130 | Collinder 228 | O7II | 10,000 | evolution | ||||||
| W51-61 | G49.5-0.4 | O7.5V | 20,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk -69° 200 | NGC 2033 | B1I | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Arches-F18 | Arches Cluster | O4–5Ia+ | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| Arches-F4 | Arches Cluster | WN7–8h | 25,000 | wind | ||||||
| Z15 | Messier 81 | B0.5 | 11,986,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| HD 5980 B | NGC 346 | WN6−7 | 200,000 | combined | binary | |||||
| Sk -67° 108 | LMC | O5III | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 190429 A | near Barnard 146 | O4If | 7,800 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| LH 31-1003 | NGC 1858 | O6Ib | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 169 | NGC 2060 | O2.5V) | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Pismis 24-1SW | Pismis 24 | O4III | 6,500 | evolution | ||||||
| HSH95-89 | R136 | O4V | 163,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| HSH95-40 | R136 | O3V | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HSH95-58 | R136 | O2–3V | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 145 | TLD1 | O8fp | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| VFTS 518 | NGC 2070 | O3.5III | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| W49-8 | W49 CC | O3–O7V | 36,200 | evolution | ||||||
| BD+43° 3654 | Runaway from Cygnus OB2 | O6If+ | 5,400 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk -70° 115 | NGC 2122 | O6.5Ifc | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Sk -69° 25 | NGC 1748 | O6V) | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HSH95-50 | R136 | O3–4V) | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| W49-5 | W49 cluster 1 | O3–O5V | 36,200 | evolution | ||||||
| ST5-71 | NGC 2074 | O5III | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 259 | Tarantula Nebula | O6Iaf | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Mc30-6a A | Mercer 30 | Ofpe/WN9 | 40,000 | evolution | ||||||
| AB9 | DEM S80 | WN3ha | 197,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| LH 41-1017 | NGC 1910 | B1 | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Brey 32 B | NGC 1966 | O6.5V | 165,000 | combined | evolution | |||||
| HD 93160 | Trumpler 14 | O6III | 8,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HSH95-35 | R136 | O3V | 163,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 229196 | Cygnus OB9 | O5 | 5,000 | evolution | ||||||
| HD 5980 A | NGC 346 | WN6h | 200,000 | combined | binary | |||||
| WR 102hb | Quintuplet cluster | WN9h | 26,000 | evolution | ||||||
| VFTS 267 | Tarantula Nebula | O3.5III | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| LH 41-18 | NGC 1910 | O8.5V) | 160,000 | evolution | ||||||
| AB8 B | NGC 602c | O4V | 197,000 | combined | binary | |||||
| Mc30-9 A | Mercer 30 | O6-7I-III | 40,000 | evolution | ||||||
| ST5-25 | NGC 2074 | O4V | 160,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| VFTS 422 | NGC 2070 | O4III | 164,000 | mass-luminosity relation | ||||||
| Sk -67° 166 | NGC 2014 | O4If+ | 160,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| Sk -65° 47 | NGC 1923 | O4If | 160,000 | spectroscopy | ||||||
| Mc30-7 A | Mercer 30 | WN6 | 40,000 | evolution | ||||||
| BAT99-96 | NGC 2070 | WN8 | 164,000 | evolution | ||||||
| Arches-F2 B | Arches Cluster | O5–6Ia+ | 25,000 | eclipsing binary | ||||||
| HSH95-55 | R136 | O2V)z | 163,000 | evolution |
A few notable large stars with masses less than 60 Solar mass| are shown in the table below for the purpose of comparison, ending with the Sun, which is very close, but would otherwise be too small to be included in the list. At present, all the listed stars are naked-eye visible and relatively nearby.
| Star name | Location | Mass | Approx. dist. | Appt. vis. mag. | Mass est. method | Link | Ref. | |
| λ Cephei | Runaway star from Cepheus OB3 | 51.4 | 36,000 | 3,100 | 5.05 | spectroscopy | ||
| τ Canis Majoris Aa | NGC 2362 | 50 | 32,000 | 5,120 | 4.89 | evolution | ||
| θ Muscae Ab | Centaurus OB1 | 44 | 33,000 | 7,400 | 5.53 combined | evolution | ||
| θ2 Orionis A | Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 39 | 34,900 | 1,500 | 5.02 | evolution | ||
| α Camelopardalis | Runaway star from NGC 1502 | 37.6 | 29,000 | 6,000 | 4.29 | evolution | ||
| P Cygni | IC 4996 of Cygnus OB1 | 37 | 18,700 | 5,100 | 4.82 | spectroscopy | ||
| ζ1 Scorpii | NGC 6231 of Scorpius OB1 | 36 - 53 | 17,200 | 8,210 | 4.705 | spectroscopy | ||
| ζ Orionis Aa | Alnitak in Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 33 | 29,500 | 1,260 | 2.08 | evolution | ||
| θ1 Orionis C1 | Trapezium Cluster of Orion complex | 33 | 39,000 | 1,340 | 5.13 combined | evolution | ||
| κ Cassiopeiae | Cassiopeia OB14 | 33 | 23,500 | 4,000 | 4.16 | evolution | ||
| μ Normae | NGC 6169 | 33 | 28,000 | 3,260 | 4.91 | spectroscopy | ||
| η Carinae B | Trumpler 16 of Carina Nebula | 30 | 37,200 | 7,500 | 4.3 combined | binary | ||
| γ2 Velorum B | Vela OB2 | 28.5 | 35,000 | 1,230 | 1.83 combined | evolution | ||
| Alnilam | ε Orionis in Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 25,000 | 1,250 | 1.69 | spectroscopy + interferometry | |||
| Meissa A | In Collinder 69 of Orion complex | 27.9 | 37,700 | 1,300 | 3.54 | spectroscopy | ||
| ξ Persei | Menkib in California Nebula of Perseus OB2 | 26.1 | 35,000 | 1,200 | 4.04 | evolution | ||
| ζ Puppis | Naos in Vela R2 of Vela Molecular Ridge | 40,000 | 1,080 | 2.25 | empirical | |||
| WR 79a | NGC 6231 of Scorpius OB1 | 24.4 | 35,000 | 5,600 | 5.77 | spectroscopy | ||
| Mintaka Aa1 | In Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 24 | 29,500 | 1,200 | 2.5 combined | evolution | ||
| ι Orionis Aa1 | Hatysa in NGC 1980 of Orion complex | 23.1 | 32,500 | 1,340 | 2.77 combined | evolution | ||
| κ Crucis | Jewel Box Cluster of Centaurus OB1 | 23 | 16,300 | 7,500 | 5.98 | evolution | ||
| WR 78 | NGC 6231 of Scorpius OB1 | 22 | 50,100 | 4,100 | 6.48 | spectroscopy | ||
| ο2 Canis Majoris | Field star | 21.4 | 15,500 | 2,800 | 3.043 | evolution | ||
| Rigel A | In Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 21 | 12,100 | 860 | 0.13 | evolution | ||
| ζ Ophiuchi | Upper Scorpius subgroup of Scorpius OB2 | 20.2 | 34,000 | 370 | 2.569 | evolution | ||
| υ Orionis | Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 20 | 33,400 | 2,900 | 4.618 | evolution | ||
| σ Orionis Aa | Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 18 | 35,000 | 1,260 | 4.07 combined | spectroscopy | ||
| μ Columbae | Runaway star from Trapezium Cluster | 16 | 33,000 | 1,300 | 5.18 | spectroscopy | ||
| Saiph | In Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 15.5 | 26,500 | 650 | 2.09 | evolution | ||
| σ Cygni | Cygnus OB4 | 15 | 10,800 | 3,260 | 4.233 | evolution | ||
| θ Carinae A | IC 2602 of Scorpius OB2 | 14.9 | 31,000 | 460 | 2.76 combined | evolution | ||
| θ2 Orionis B | Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 14.8 | 29,300 | 1,500 | 6.38 | spectroscopy | ||
| ζ Persei | Perseus OB2 | 14.5 | 20,800 | 750 | 2.86 | evolution | ||
| σ Orionis B | Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 14 | 31,000 | 1,260 | 4.07 combined | spectroscopy | ||
| β Canis Majoris | Mirzam in Local Bubble of Scorpius OB2 | 13.5 | 23,200 | 490 | 1.985 | evolution | ||
| ε Persei A | α Persei Cluster | 13.5 | 26,500 | 640 | 2.88 combined | evolution | ||
| ι Orionis Aa2 | NGC 1980 of Orion complex | 13.1 | 27,000 | 1,340 | 2.77 combined | evolution | ||
| δ Scorpii A | Dschubba in Upper Scorpius subgroup of Scorpius OB2 | 13 | 27,400 | 440 | 2.307 combined | evolution | ||
| σ Orionis Ab | Orion OB1 of Orion complex | 13 | 29,000 | 1,260 | 4.07 combined | spectroscopy | ||
| θ Muscae Aa | WR 48 in Centaurus OB1 | 11.5 | 83,000 | 7,400 | 5.53 combined | spectroscopy | ||
| γ2 Velorum A | WR 11 in Vela OB2 | 9 | 57,000 | 1,230 | 1.83 combined | spectroscopy | ||
| ρ Ophiuchi A | ρ Ophiuchi cloud complex of Scorpius OB2 | 8.7 | 22,000 | 360 | 4.63 combined | evolution | ||
| Bellatrix | In Bellatrix Cluster of Orion complex | 7.7 | 21,800 | 250 | 1.64 | evolution | ||
| Antares B | Loop I Bubble of Scorpius OB2 | 7.2 | 18,500 | 550 | 5.5 | evolution | ||
| λ Tauri A | Pisces-Eridanus stellar stream | 7.18 | 18,700 | 480 | 3.47 combined | evolution | ||
| δ Persei | α Persei Cluster | 7 | 14,900 | 520 | 3.01 | evolution | ||
| ψ Persei | α Persei Cluster | 6.2 | 16,000 | 580 | 4.31 | evolution | ||
| α Pavonis Aa | Peacock in Tucana-Horologium association | 5.91 | 17,700 | 180 | 1.94 | evolution | ||
| Alcyone | In Pleiades | 5.9 | 12,300 | 440 | 2.87 combined | evolution | ||
| γ Canis Majoris | Muliphein in Collinder 121 | 5.6 | 13,600 | 440 | 4.1 | evolution | ||
| η Canis Majoris | Aludra in Collinder 121 | 5.5 or 9.5 | 15,000 | 2,000 | 2.45 | SED modelling / spectroscopy | ||
| ο Velorum | IC 2391 of Scorpius OB2 | 5.5 | 16,200 | 490 | 3.6 | evolution | ||
| ο Aquarii | Pisces-Eridanus stellar stream | 4.2 | 13,500 | 440 | 4.71 | evolution | ||
| ν Fornacis | Pisces-Eridanus stellar stream | 3.65 | 13,400 | 370 | 4.69 | evolution | ||
| φ Eridani | Tucana-Horologium association | 3.55 | 13,700 | 150 | 3.55 | evolution | ||
| η Chamaeleontis | η Chamaeleontis moving group of Scorpius OB2 | 3.2 | 12,500 | 310 | 5.453 | evolution | ||
| ε Chamaeleontis | ε Chamaeleontis moving group of Scorpius OB2 | 2.87 | 10,900 | 360 | 4.91 | evolution | ||
| τ1 Aquarii | Pisces-Eridanus stellar stream | 2.68 | 10,600 | 320 | 5.66 | evolution | ||
| ε Hydri | Tucana-Horologium association | 2.64 | 11,000 | 150 | 4.12 | evolution | ||
| β1 Tucanae | Tucana-Horologium association | 2.5 | 10,600 | 140 | 4.37 | evolution | ||
| Sirius A | List of nearest stars| | 2.06 | 9,850 | 8.6 | −1.46 | evolution | ||
| Sun | Solar System | 1 | 5,772 | 0.0000158 | −26.744 | standard |