List of star extremes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A star is a massive luminous spheroid astronomical object made of plasma that is held together by its own gravity. Stars exhibit great diversity in their properties (such as mass, volume, velocity, stage in stellar evolution, and distance from Earth) and some of the outliers are so disproportionate in comparison with the general population that they are considered extreme. This is a list of such stars.
Records that are regarded as authoritative and unlikely to change at any given point are recorded on a white background, while those that could change with new information and/or discoveries are recorded on a grey background.
Age and distance
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest star | Sun | 3rd century BC | 1 AU | Our local star's distance was first determined in the 3rd century BC by Aristarchus of Samos. | Reported for reference | ||
| Second-nearest star | Proxima Centauri | 1915 | 1.30 pc | Also called Alpha Centauri C, it is the outlying star in a trinary star system that includes Alpha Centauri A (Rigil Kentaurus) and Alpha Centauri B (Toliman). This is currently the nearest known neighbouring star to our own Sun. This star was discovered in 1915, and its parallax was determined at the time, when enough observations were established. | [NB 1] | [1][2] | List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs |
| Most distant individually seen star | WHL0137-LS (Earendel) | 2022 | z= 6.2 ± 0.1
12.9 Gly |
Most likely a star cluster.[3] | [4][5] | List of most distant stars | |
| Most distant galaxy | Stars in MoM-z14 | 2025 | z= 14.44
13.53 Gly (light travel distance) |
[6] | List of the most distant astronomical objects | ||
| Most distant star gravitationally bound to Milky Way galaxy | ULAS J0015+01 | 2014 | 900,000 light-years | Located in the Milky Way's extreme outer halo, far beyond the galactic disc. | [7] | ||
| Oldest star | HD 140283 | 2025 | 14.2±0.4 billion years | [8] | List of oldest stars | ||
| Youngest | Stars are being formed constantly in the universe so it is impossible to tell which star is the youngest. For information on the properties of newly formed stars, see Protostar, Young stellar object and Star formation. | ||||||
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest extrasolar star | Proxima Centauri
(Alpha Centauri C) |
1915 | 1.30 parsecs (4.2 ly) | Before Proxima, the title had been held by Alpha Centauri A & B. | [NB 1][NB 2] | [9][10] | |
| Nearest red dwarf | Before Proxima, the title had been held by Barnard's Star. | ||||||
| Nearest degenerate star | Sirius B | 1852 | 8.6 light-years (2.6 pc) | This is also the nearest white dwarf. | [NB 3] | ||
| Nearest subdwarf | Kapteyn's Star | 1898 | 12.83 light-years (3.93 pc) | Kapteyn's star is either a sdM1 subdwarf[11] or a M1.5V main-sequence star.[12][13] WISEA 1810−1010 is the nearest undisputed subdwarf, at 29.03 light-years (8.90 pc).[14] | [15] | ||
| Nearest subgiant | Procyon | 11.5 light-years (3.5 pc) | All stars closer to the Sun are main sequence, degenerate stars or brown dwarfs. | ||||
| Nearest giant star | Pollux | 33.8 light-years (10.4 pc) | List of nearest giant stars | ||||
| Nearest supergiant | Epsilon Leonis | 247 light-years (76 pc) | While being a giant star based on spectrum, in evolutionary terms the star is a supergiant.[16] | List of nearest supergiants | |||
| Nearest hypergiant | μ Cephei (Garnet Star) | 3,060 light-years (940 pc) | [17] | ||||
| Nearest carbon star | CW Leonis | 310 light-years (95 pc) | |||||
| Nearest M-type star | Proxima Centauri | 1915 | 1.30 parsecs (4.2 ly) | List of nearest M-type stars | |||
| Nearest K-type star | Alpha Centauri B | 1.33 parsecs (4.3 ly) | List of nearest K-type stars | ||||
| Nearest G-type star | Sun | 1 AU | List of nearest G-type stars | ||||
| Nearest F-type star | Procyon | 11.46 light-years (3.51 pc) | [18] | List of nearest F-type stars | |||
| Nearest A-type star | Sirius | 8.6 light-years (2.6 pc) | List of nearest A-type stars | ||||
| Nearest B-type star | Regulus | 79.3 light-years (24.3 pc) | [19] | List of nearest B-type stars | |||
| Nearest O-type star | Zeta Ophiuchi | 420 light-years (130 pc) | [20] | List of nearest O-type stars | |||
| Nearest Wolf–Rayet star | Gamma Velorum | 1,080 light-years (330 pc) | |||||
| Nearest neutron star | RX J1856.35-3754 | 2000 | 400 light-years (120 pc) | [21][22][23] | |||
| Nearest white dwarf | Sirius B | 1852 | 8.6 light-years (2.6 pc) | Sirius B is also the second white dwarf discovered, after 40 Eridani B. | [9][24][25] | ||
| Nearest brown dwarf | Luhman 16 | 2013 | 6.5 light-years (2.0 pc) | This is a pair of brown dwarfs in a binary system, with no other stars. | [26] | ||
| Nearest luminous blue variable | P Cygni | 5,251 light-years (1,610 pc) | [27] | ||||
Brightness and power
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightest star from the Earth: Apparent magnitude | Sun | prehistoric | m=−26.74 | Reported for reference [NB 4][NB 5] |
|||
| Brightest star other than the Sun | Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris) |
prehistoric | m= −1.46 | [NB 4][NB 5][NB 6] | List of brightest stars | ||
| Dimmest star from the Earth | UDF 2457 | m= 25 | [NB 4][NB 5] | ||||
| Brightest star in a transient event | Progenitor of SN 1006 | 1006 | m= −7.5 | This was a supernova, and its remnant (SNR) is catalogued as PKS 1459-41. | [NB 1][NB 4][NB 5] | [28] | |
| Most luminous star | LGGS J004246.86+413336.4 | 2022 | L= 19,953,000 LSun | [29] | List of most luminous stars | ||
| Least luminous star | 2MASS J0523−1403 | 2013 | L=0.000126LSun | [NB 2][NB 7] | [30] | ||
| Most luminous star in a transient event | Progenitor of GRB 080916C | 2008 | V=−40 | The star exploded in a gamma-ray burst with the total energy equal to 9,000 supernovae. | [NB 8] | List of gamma-ray bursts | |
| Most energetic star | R136a1 | 2010 | B=-12.5 | [NB 7] | [31] | List of most luminous stars | |
| Most energetic star in a transient event | Progenitor of GRB 080916C | 2008 | [NB 7] | ||||
| Hottest star | WR 102 | T= 200,000 K (200,000 °C; 360,000 °F) | [32] | List of hottest stars | |||
| Coolest star | S Cassiopeiae | T= 1,800 K (1,530 °C; 2,780 °F) | [33] | List of coolest stars | |||
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hottest white dwarf | RX J0439.8-6809 | 2015 | 250,000 K (450,000 °F) | [34][35][36] | |||
| Hottest neutron star | PSR B0943+10 | 3,100,000 K (5,580,000 °F) | Blackbody temperature of a small emitting area at the poles | [37] | |||
| Hottest brown dwarf | ZTF J1406+1222 B | 2022 | 10,462 K (10,189 °C; 18,372 °F) | [38] | |||
| Coolest neutron star | |||||||
| Coolest white dwarf | PSR J2222−0137 B | 2014 | <3,000 K (2,730 °C; 4,940 °F) | [36][39] | |||
| Coolest brown dwarf | WISE 0855−0714 | 2014 | 285 K (12 °C; 53 °F) | [40][41] | |||
Size and mass
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largest apparent size star | Sun | prehistoric (3rd century BC) |
31.6′ – 32.7′ | The apparent size of the Sun was first measured by Eratosthenes in the 3rd century BC,[42] who was the second person to measure the distance to the Sun. However, Thales of Miletus provided a measurement for the real size of the Sun in the 6th century BC, as 1⁄720 the great circle of the Sun (the orbit of the Earth).[43] | Reported for reference [NB 5] |
||
| Largest extrasolar apparent size star | R Doradus | 1997 | 0.057" | This replaced Betelgeuse as the largest, Betelgeuse having been the first star other than the Sun to have its apparent size measured. | [NB 1][NB 5] | [44] | |
| Smallest apparent size star | Most distant stars to Earth | [NB 5] | |||||
| Largest star | WOH G64 A | 2009 | 1,540±77 R☉ | This parameter is consistent with the properties of the largest galactic red supergiants (such as VY Canis Majoris) and with theoretical models of the largest supergiants, at least in hydrostatic equilibrium (e.g. the Hayashi limit or the Humphreys–Davidson limit).[45] VX Sagittarii reaches an average radius of 1,556±110 R☉ with an amplitude of about 197 R☉ during its active pulsation phase, having reached a maximum reported radius of 1,798±127 R☉ in September 2019.[46]
Stephenson 2 DFK 1 has an estimated radius of 2,150 R☉. However, it is potentially not a member of the Stephenson 2 cluster, and since its distance has been derived from its radial velocity, discrepancy with a trigonometric distance may be over 50%.[47][48] In addition, its unusual spectral energy distribution suggests an even larger estimate than any red supergiant, and its slightly off radial velocity indicates a foreground star instead.[47][49] |
[45] | List of largest stars | |
| Smallest star | BE Ursae Majoris A | 2008 | 0.046±0.002 R☉ | [NB 2] | [50] | List of smallest stars | |
| Most massive star | R136a1 | 2025 | 291±46 M☉ | This exceeds the predicted limit of 150 M☉, previously believed to be the limit of stellar mass, according to the leading star formation theories. R136a1 considered the most massive known by the scientific community.[51] | [52] | List of most massive stars | |
| Least massive star | 2MASS J0523−1403 | 2021 | 0.07 M☉ | [NB 2] | [53] | List of least massive stars | |
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most massive brown dwarf | Lup 607 | 2021 | 105 MJupiter | This is at the limit between brown dwarfs and red dwarfs.[54][55] | [56] | ||
| Most massive degenerate star | The most massive type of degenerate star is the neutron star. See Most massive neutron star for this recordholder.[NB 3] | ||||||
| Most massive neutron star | PSR J0740+6620 | 2019 | 2.14 M☉ | Several candidates exist which have a higher mass; however, their mass has been measured by less precise methods and as such their mass value is regarded as less certain. | [57] | List of most massive neutron stars | |
| Most massive neutron star (disputed) | PSR J1748-2021B | 2015 | 2.548 M☉ | [58] | |||
| Most massive white dwarf | RE J0317-853/ZTF J1901+1458 | 1998/2020 | 1.35 MSun | [59][60] | |||
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Least massive neutron star | HESS J1731-347 | 2022 | 0.77 M☉ | [61][62] | |||
| Least massive white dwarf | NLTT 11748 | 2021 | 0.13–0.16 M☉ | [36] | |||
| Least massive brown dwarf | (unnamed) | 2023 | 3 – 4 MJ | Located in the star cluster IC 348 | [63][64] | Sub-brown dwarf | |
Motion
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest proper motion | Barnard's Star | 10.3 "/yr | This is also the fourth closest star to the Solar System. | [65][66] | |||
| Lowest proper motion | N/A | N/A | ~0 "/yr | Billions of stars on the other end of the galaxy | |||
| Highest radial velocity | |||||||
| Lowest radial velocity | EY Aquarii | 2013 | -870 km/s | Mira variable | [NB 9] | [67] | |
| Highest peculiar motion | |||||||
| Lowest peculiar motion | |||||||
| Highest rotational speed of a normal star | VFTS 102 | 2013 | 600 km/s | [NB 2] | [68] | ||
| Lowest rotational speed | |||||||
| Fastest velocity of a star | S5-HVS1 | 2019 | 1,755 km/s | [69][70][71][72] | |||
Star systems
| Title | Object | Date | Data | Comments | Notes | Refs | See more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Least stars in a star system | There are many single star systems. | ||||||
| Most stars in a star system | Nonuple star system[73] | System contains at least nine stars.[73] | [NB 10] | [73] | |||
| Stars in the closest orbit around one another | There are many stars that are in contact binary systems (where two or more stars are in physical contact with each other). | ||||||
| Stars in the most distant orbit around one another | Regulus/SDSS J1007+1930 | 2024 | ~3.9 parsecs (13 ly) | [74] | |||
| Nearest multiple star system | Alpha Centauri | 1839 | 1.30 parsecs (4.2 ly) | This was one of the first three stars to have its distance measured.[75][76] | [9][77] | ||
| Nearest solitary star | Barnard's Star | 1916 | 1.83 parsecs (6.0 ly) | ||||
| Nearest binary star system | Luhman 16 | 2013 | 1.998 parsecs (6.52 ly) | Brown dwarf binary system. The nearest non-brown dwarf binary is Sirius, and the nearest composed entirely of main-sequence stars is Luyten 726-8. | |||
| Nearest trinary star system | Alpha Centauri | 1839 | 1.38 parsecs (4.5 ly) | Also nearest multiple star system, and nearest star system of any type | |||
| Nearest quaternary star system | Gliese 570 | 5.88 parsecs (19.2 ly) | K4 star orbited by a pair of M stars, all orbited by a T7 brown dwarf | ||||
| Nearest quintenary star system | V1054 Ophiuchi | 6.46 parsecs (21.1 ly) | M3 star orbited by a pair of pair of M4 stars, together orbited by an M3.5 star, all orbited by an M7 star | ||||
| Nearest sextenary star system | Castor | 1718 | 15.6 parsecs (51 ly) | A1 star orbited by a red dwarf, both orbited by another A star orbited by a red dwarf, all orbited by two red dwarfs orbiting each other | |||
| Nearest septenary star system | Nu Scorpii | 150 parsecs (490 ly) | A B3V star orbited by an unknown-type star, both orbited by another unknown star, together orbited by another unknown star, all orbited by a B9III star orbiting a pair of stars which are a B9III and unknown star | ||||
See also
- Angular diameter
- Compact object
- Historical brightest stars
- List of brightest stars
- Lists of constellations
- IAU designated constellations by area
- List of exoplanet extremes
- List of extremes in the sky
- List of largest stars
- List of most luminous stars
- List of nearest bright stars
- List of nearest galaxies
- List of nearest stars
- Lists of stars
- Lists of stars by constellation
- Peculiar velocity
- Proper motion
- Radial velocity
- Rotational frequency
- Star
- Star system
Notes
- A normal star is a star that is past its protostar period, in its main fusion period, before becoming a degenerate star, black hole, or post-stellar nebula, and is not a failed star (brown dwarf).
- Not including stellar-mass black holes or exotic stars
- By visual magnitude (m)
- This is the appearance in the sky from Earth.
- This does not include brightest stars due to outbursts
- Energetic here is the total electromagnetic energy emitted by a star in all wavelengths.
- Luminosity here represents how bright a star is if all stars were equally far away, in visible light.
- Stars with particularly high radial velocities are usually erroneously recorded, so all large values should be taken with a grain of salt.
- The allowable distance between components of a star system is debated.
