R136a1 is 200 times larger than the sun

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Get ready to meet R136a1, one of the most massive stars known, weighing over 200 times our sun.

[00:00:10]Located in the Tarantula Nebula, this giant is nearly 163,000 light-years from Earth.

[00:00:18]The sun, but then multiply its size over 200 times.

[00:00:23]That's R136a1.

[00:00:26]It burns at over 50,000° Fahrenheit, hotter than most stars we know.

[00:00:32]The energy it releases is mind-boggling, millions of times more than our sun.

[00:00:39]R136a1 is young, only a few million years old.

[00:00:45]Despite its youth, it's nearing its end.

[00:00:48]Stars this massive live fast and die spectacularly.

[00:00:54]When R136a1 eventually explodes as a supernova, the light will be visible across galaxies.

[00:01:02]Its remnants could form a black hole, an object with a gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape.

[00:01:11]How can something so far away teach us about our own sun's fate? Follow for the answer tomorrow.