What stars come under massive stars?

A star’s mass, being compiled of hydrogen and helium, is everything. Its mass amount defines its luminosity, size and lifespan. The most massive stars in the universe extinguish after burning bright. They can build up in size-more than 100 times the mass of the sun-and they will only live a few million years before detonating as supernovas.

Some astronomers assume that the theoretical limit for stellar mass is about 150 times the mass of the Sun (1 solar mass is the sun's mass), beyond this limit powerful stellar winds will push away in falling material before it can join the star. Stars with 150 solar masses have been theoretically observed. To accurately measure a sun's mass, it must be in a binary system with another object.

Astronomers can determine the mass of the two objects by measuring how they move around one another. However, the most massive stars ever seen don’t have any binary companions. Therefore, astronomers have to make an educated guess on how mammoth they are. They often estimate the star’s mass based on its temperature and absolute brightness.

There are different types of stars that are found in the solar system. Some of them are heavier as compared to others. One of the stars that are considered to be a massive star is the RMC 136a1. This is about 163,000 light years from earth.

Aside from this massive star, there are still other massive stars that are available. Massive stars are actually born the same way with normal stars. It just so happens that the weight may be too heavy for the star itself so the star will collapse. The moment that a nuclear fusion takes place, that is the time when the new massive star is born.