Wray 17-96 is a very luminous star in the Scorpius constellation, about away. It is a suspected

luminous blue variable Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are massive evolved stars that show unpredictable and sometimes dramatic variations in their spectra and brightness. They are also known as S Doradus variables after S Doradus, one of the brightest stars of the Larg ...

(LBV), although it has not shown the characteristic spectral variations. Wray 17-96 has an absolute bolometric magnitude of −10.9 (1.8 million times the Sun's luminosity), making it one of the most luminous stars known. The spectral type is peculiar, showing emission and absorption, sometimes both in the same line. Photospheric helium lines are visible indicating that the star is at least somewhat evolved. It is highly reddened by interstellar extinction and the visual brightness is reduced by nearly 9 magnitudes. Wray 17-96 is also notable for its highly symmetrical ring-shaped gas shell, which was originally classified as a planetary nebula.

References

External links

*http://jumk.de/astronomie/big-stars/wray-17-96.shtml {{Stars of Scorpius Scorpius B-type stars Luminous blue variables J17413543-3006389