R136c

R136c

The bright star to the left of the cluster core is R136c.
Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation	Dorado
Right ascension	5^h 38^m 42.90^s[1]
Declination	−69° 06′ 04.83″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	12.86[1]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage	Wolf-Rayet star
Spectral type	WN5h[2]
Astrometry
Distance	163,000 ly (49,970[3] pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	−7.9[1]
Details[2]
Mass	230 M☉
Radius	18.4[4] R☉
Luminosity	5,623,000 L☉
Temperature	51,000 K
Age	~1.7[5] Myr
Other designations
BAT99 112, RMC 136c
Database references
SIMBAD	data

R136c is a Wolf–Rayet star with a spectral type of WN5h. WN5 indicates ionized helium emissions and being stronger than the neutral helium lines. It is located in the Tarantula Nebula, it is the second most massive star in the R136 star forming region. It's temperature is 51,000 ^oK.

The extreme luminosity is by the CNO process. It is 230 times the mass of the Sun and 5,623,000 times more luminous. The star is losing mass by stellar winds. It is strongly suspected to be a binary system, due to the hard x-ray emission of colliding wind binaries. However, the companion makes only a small part of the luminosity.

R136c is likely to end in a supernova, a hypernova, or a gamma ray burst, or no visible explosion at all and become a black hole. The fate of R136c depends on its mass loss. The future of R136c is uncertain. It might become or just skip the LBV stage and become a hydrogen free (WNE or WNL)star. Lastly, it will be a wolf rayet star that is fusing oxygen (WO). Then, it will most likely to explode in a supernova. Its remnant would be most likely a black hole.

It is a very young, highly luminous object. R136c can be seen on the lower left to the center of the R136 cluster. It was discovered in 1996 by the Radcliffe Observatory in Pretoria, Although R136 a and b are discovered earlier.

References

1. Doran, E. I.; Crowther, P. A.; de Koter, A.; Evans, C. J.; McEvoy, C.; Walborn, N. R.; Bastian, N.; Bestenlehner, J. M.; Grafener, G.; Herrero, A.; Kohler, K.; Maiz Apellaniz, J.; Najarro, F.; Puls, J.; Sana, H.; Schneider, F. R. N.; Taylor, W. D.; van Loon, J. Th.; Vink, J. S. (2013). "The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey - XI. A census of the hot luminous stars and their feedback in 30 Doradus". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 558: A134. arXiv:1308.3412v1. Bibcode:2013A&A...558A.134D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321824. S2CID 118510909.
2. Crowther, Paul A.; Caballero-Nieves, S. M.; Bostroem, K. A.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Schneider, F. R. N.; Walborn, N. R.; Angus, C. R.; Brott, I.; Bonanos, A.; De Koter, A.; De Mink, S. E.; Evans, C. J.; Gräfener, G.; Herrero, A.; Howarth, I. D.; Langer, N.; Lennon, D. J.; Puls, J.; Sana, H.; Vink, J. S. (2016). "The R136 star cluster dissected with Hubble Space Telescope/STIS. I. Far-ultraviolet spectroscopic census and the origin of He II λ1640 in young star clusters". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 458 (1): 624–659. arXiv:1603.04994. Bibcode:2016MNRAS.458..624C. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw273.
3. Pietrzyński, G; D. Graczyk; W. Gieren; I. B. Thompson; B. Pilecki; A. Udalski; I. Soszyński; et al. (7 March 2013). "An eclipsing-binary distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud accurate to two per cent". Nature. 495 (7439): 76–79. arXiv:1303.2063. Bibcode:2013Natur.495...76P. doi:10.1038/nature11878. PMID 23467166. S2CID 4417699.
4. Hainich, R.; Rühling, U.; Todt, H.; Oskinova, L. M.; Liermann, A.; Gräfener, G.; Foellmi, C.; Schnurr, O.; Hamann, W. -R. (2014). "The Wolf-Rayet stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 565: A27. arXiv:1401.5474. Bibcode:2014A&A...565A..27H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322696. S2CID 55123954.
5. Crowther, P. A.; Schnurr, O.; Hirschi, R.; Yusof, N.; Parker, R. J.; Goodwin, S. P.; Kassim, H. A. (2010). "The R136 star cluster hosts several stars whose individual masses greatly exceed the accepted 150 M_⊙ stellar mass limit". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 408 (2): 731. arXiv:1007.3284. Bibcode:2010MNRAS.408..731C. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17167.x. S2CID 53001712.