R136a1
This is a Blue/White hypergiant 165,000 light years away in the Tarantula nebula of the Large Megellanic Cloud. It's not the largest star known, but it is the most massive. 256 solar massses. It's also the brightest. At 8.7 million times brighter than our sun, you could probably still see it even if you were in a room lined with an inch thick lead (if you were close enough). I have a hard time imagining how bright that would be. Sirius is the brightest star as seen from earth (aparrent magnitude) and it's just 8.6 light years away and it is 25 times brighter than the sun. Rigel is 85,000 times brighter than the sun and it's about 900 light years away. R136a1 burns at over 50,000 degrees Kelvin on the surface. (surface temps are the coolest part of the star) Our sun is only 5,800 degrees Kelvin on the surface and 13.6 million Kelvin at the core (the hottest part) I can't even imagine those temps. Talk about some serious sunburn....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R136a1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYnTqI3xGkg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHiHFXtE0js
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R136a1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYnTqI3xGkg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHiHFXtE0js
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