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Dr. Becky | Is there a Limit to How Massive A Star Can Be?

We know there's a limit to how small a star can be, but is there a limit to how BIG stars can get?

Is there some aspect of Physics that limits how big they can grow, or do big stars just get rarer and rarer so we're less likely to see them?


The biggest star we've ever found is R136a1 at around 200 times heavier than the Sun, and that is very challenging for our models of star formation to explain...


00:00 - Introduction

00:50 - The Initial Mass Function of stars with a lower and upper limit?

03:00 - Simulating stars forming - is there a physical process limiting the mass?

05:19 - Finding the most massive star known R136a1

07:35 - If we don't find more massive stars, does that mean there's really a limit?

07:57 - How can JWST help solve this problem?

09:06 - Brilliant

10:15 - Bloopers

Dr Becky Smethurst
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