Home Contact | About | Friends of McDonald | Sign up for Sky Tips
McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory
A production of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory
StargazingResourcesRadioMagazineTeachersGift ShopMedia Center

Send to a friend 
Enlarge image
Keywords
Nebulae 
Interstellar Gas and Dust 
Sun 
Magnitude Scale and Star Brightness 
Resources
Brightest stars
Extrasolar planets
FAQs about Stars and Nebulae
Astronomy Gift Shop
2009 Sky Almanac
Pentax 10x50 binoculars
McDonald Observatory logo cap

The one constant in the Universe: StarDate magazine
Hot as a Pistol 
Hot as a Pistol 
The brightest star yet discovered is called the Pistol Star because of the shape of a cloud of gas and dust surrounding the star. The Pistol is about 10 million times brighter than the Sun, releasing as much energy in just one minute as the Sun will generate in 10 years.

Show all images about:

Copyright ©1995-2006 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory. Material on this site may be linked to, quoted or reproduced for educational or personal purposes without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given. Teachers, scout leaders, and others may distribute the material for classroom instruction or related educational purposes. The materials may not be sold or published in any other form without written permission from The University of Texas McDonald Observatory.