Donald Figer
Encyclopedia
Donald Figer is an American astronomer
. He works at the Rochester Institute of Technology
, where he is a Professor
, and Director of the Rochester Imaging Detector Laboratory. He claims that 150 solar masses is the upper limit for star
s. By using the Hubble Space Telescope
, he observed approximately one thousand star
s in a young star cluster
, the Arches Cluster
, which is near center of the Milky Way
. None of the stars surpassed this limit.
He also identified the Pistol Star
as one of the most massive in the Universe
.
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
. He works at the Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
, where he is a Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, and Director of the Rochester Imaging Detector Laboratory. He claims that 150 solar masses is the upper limit for star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s. By using the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
, he observed approximately one thousand star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s in a young star cluster
Star cluster
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain less than...
, the Arches Cluster
Arches Cluster
The Arches Cluster is the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way, and islocated about 100 light years away from the center of our galaxy, in the constellation Sagittarius....
, which is near center of the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
. None of the stars surpassed this limit.
He also identified the Pistol Star
Pistol Star
The Pistol Star is a blue hypergiant and is one of the most luminous known stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.It is one of many massive young stars in the Quintuplet cluster in the Galactic Center region....
as one of the most massive in the Universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
.