Pistol star - Massive star in the constellation Sagittarius - The massive star Pistol star...

Pistol star - Massive star in the constellation Sagittarius - The massive star Pistol star in Sagittarius - Pistol star is one of the most massive stars in our galaxy. Located about 25,000 years ago - the light of the Earth in the constellation of Sagittarius, this star shines like 10 million Sun consuming in six seconds as much energy as our star in a year. This star is masked by the numerous interstellar dust present in the Sagittarius near the galactic center and appears only in infrared wavelengths, as in this image obtained with the NICMOS instrument embark on the Hubble space telescope. The nebula that surrounds it (in the shape of a gun), extends over 4 years - light. Image obtained in 1997. Astronomers using Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope have identified what may be the most luminous star known “” a celestial mammoth which releases up to 10 million times the power of the Sun and is big enough to fill the diameter of Earth's orbit. The star unleashes as much energy in six seconds as our Sun does in one year. The image, taken with the Near - Infrared Camera and Multi - Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) aboard Hubble, also reveals a bright nebula, created by extremely massive stellar eruptions. The nebula is so big (four light - years) that it would almost span the distance from the Sun to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to Earth's solar system. The astronomers estimate that when the titanic star was formed one to three million years ago, it may have weighed up to 200 times the mass of the Sun before shedding much of its mass in violent eruptions. The star, called the “” Pistol Star”” (for the pistol shaped nebula surrounding it), is approximately 25,000 light - years from Earth near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The Pistol Star is not visible to the eye, but is located in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, hidden behind the great dust clouds along the Milky Way