V4998 Sagittarii

V4998 Sagittarii

V4998 Sagittarii and its surrounding shell nebula. The nebula appears as a transparent bubble-like body encircling the star.
Credit: HST\NIMCOS
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Sagittarius
Right ascension 17h 46m 05.625s
Declination −28° 51 31.92
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage LBV
Apparent magnitude (B) 19.5
Apparent magnitude (R) 17.2
Apparent magnitude (J) 12.534
Apparent magnitude (H) 9.239
Apparent magnitude (K) 7.462
Variable type LBV
Astrometry
Distance8,000 pc
Details
Radius463 R
Luminosity4,000,000 L
Temperature12,000 K
Other designations
V4998 Sagittarii, LBV G0.120-0.048, LBV3, 2MASS J17460562-2851319, SSTGC 595621
Database references
SIMBADdata

V4998 Sagittarii is a luminous blue variable star (LBV) in the constellation of Sagittarius. Located some 25,000 light-years away, the star is positioned about 7 pc (23 ly) away from a starburst cluster known as the Quintuplet cluster. It has an ejection nebula measuring over 0.8 pc in diameter, formed 5000-10,000 years ago through large eruptions. The star has a large mass comparable to the Pistol Star and a luminosity of around 4 million times the Sun (L). This places the star as one of the most massive and luminous stars known.