swap_horiz Pistol Star Alternatives

1

Eta Carinae

Eta Carinae is an exceptionally large and volatile star located within the Carina Nebula. It’s notable for its dramatic...

Massive Carinae Pre Supernova Luminous Blue Variable

9.2 Excellent

2

R136a1

A Wolf-Rayet star in the R136 cluster of the Large Magellanic Cloud, regarded as the most massive known star with an ini...

Luminous Wolf Rayet Lmc Doradus

8.8 Great

3

P Cygni

A luminous blue variable in Cygnus that erupted around 1600 CE and is the namesake of the P Cygni spectral line profile,...

Massive Cygnus Luminous Blue Variable Outburst

8.5 Great

4

Theta1 Orionis C

Theta1 Orionis C is the most massive and luminous member of the Trapezium cluster in the Orion Nebula, an O-type star re...

Massive Orion Main Sequence O Type

8.4 Great

5

NML Cygni

A red hypergiant in Cygnus and one of the largest and most luminous stars known, with a radius estimated to exceed 1,600...

Massive Cygnus M Type Red Hypergiant

8.1 Great

6

Gamma Velorum

Gamma Velorum is the brightest Wolf-Rayet star visible to the naked eye, a multiple-star system in Vela containing a WC8...

Massive Vela Multiple Wolf Rayet

8.1 Great

7

S Doradus

S Doradus is a luminous blue variable in the Large Magellanic Cloud that is the prototype of S Doradus variability, defi...

Luminous Variable Lmc Luminous Blue Variable

8.1 Great

8

WR 104

WR 104 is a Wolf-Rayet star in Sagittarius that forms a rotating pinwheel nebula with its O-star companion and is consid...

Binary Wolf Rayet Sagittarius Pinwheel Nebula

8.0 Great

9

Wezen

Delta Canis Majoris, a yellow-white supergiant roughly 1,600 light-years away and among the most intrinsically luminous...

Yellow Luminous Supergiant F Type

7.9 Good

10

VV Cephei

An eclipsing binary in Cepheus pairing one of the largest known red supergiants with a hot blue companion, with an orbit...

Massive Cepheus M Type Eclipsing Binary

7.9 Good

11

AG Carinae

A luminous blue variable in Carina, one of the most massive and luminous stars in the Milky Way, surrounded by an ejecte...

Massive Southern Carinae Luminous Blue Variable

7.9 Good

12

WR 102

WR 102 is a WO-type Wolf-Rayet star with a surface temperature exceeding 200,000 K, making it one of the hottest known s...

Compact Massive Wolf Rayet Sagittarius

7.9 Good

13

Stephenson 2-18

Stephenson 2-18 is a red supergiant in the open cluster Stephenson 2, often cited as potentially the largest known star...

Massive Scutum M Type Red Supergiant

7.9 Good

14

Kaus Australis

Epsilon Sagittarii, the brightest star in Sagittarius, a blue-white giant about 143 light-years away and a standard star...

Bright Giant Sagittarius B Type

7.8 Good

15

Cygnus OB2-12

Cygnus OB2-12 is a blue hypergiant in the Cygnus OB2 association and one of the most intrinsically luminous stars in the...

Luminous Cygnus B Type Hypergiant

7.8 Good

16

HR 5171

HR 5171 is a yellow hypergiant in Centaurus and one of the largest stars known by physical radius, also forming a contac...

Massive Yellow Centaurus G Type

7.7 Good

17

Peony Star

The Peony Star (WR 102ka) is a Wolf-Rayet star near the Galactic center and a contender for the most luminous star in th...

Massive Wolf Rayet Sagittarius Galactic Center

7.7 Good

18

LBV 1806-20

LBV 1806-20 is a luminous blue variable near the Galactic center, located in the same dense star-forming cluster as a so...

Massive Sagittarius Galactic Center Luminous Blue Variable

7.6 Good

19

Nunki

Sigma Sagittarii, the second-brightest star in Sagittarius, a blue-white main-sequence star about 228 light-years away a...

Bright Sagittarius B Type Main Sequence

7.5 Good

20

Ross 154

Ross 154 is a red dwarf flare star approximately 9.7 light-years from Earth in Sagittarius, one of the twenty nearest st...

Young Sagittarius Nearby M Type

7.4 Good