Wray 17-96

Wray 17-96 is a very luminous star in the Scorpius constellation, about 20,000 light-years (7 kpc) away. It is a suspected luminous blue variable (LBV), although it has not shown the characteristic spectral variations.

A visual band light curve for Wray 17-96, plotted from ASAS-SN data^[9]

Wray 17-96

Gas shell in the mid-infrared around WRAY 17-96 Credit: NASA Spitzer Space Telescope
Observation data Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation	Scorpius
Right ascension	17h 41m 35.436s[1]
Declination	−30° 06′ 38.78″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	~13.0[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type	B[e]:[3]
Apparent magnitude (B)	17.8[4]
Apparent magnitude (R)	14.23[5]
Apparent magnitude (J)	6.707[6]
Apparent magnitude (H)	5.52[6]
Apparent magnitude (K)	4.796[6]
Variable type	LBV?[7]
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ)	RA: −0.176[1] mas/yr Dec.: −1.278[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	0.1457±0.0871 mas[1]
Distance	approx. 20,000 ly (approx. 7,000 pc)
Details
Radius	260[8] R☉
Luminosity	1,800,000[3] L☉
Temperature	13,000[3] K
Other designations
2MASS J17413543-3006389, Hen 3-1453
Database references
SIMBAD	data

Wray 17-96 has an absolute bolometric magnitude of −10.9 (1.8 million times the Sun's luminosity), making it one of the most luminous stars known. The spectral type is peculiar, showing emission and absorption, sometimes both in the same line. Photospheric helium lines are visible indicating that the star is at least somewhat evolved. It is highly reddened by interstellar extinction and the visual brightness is reduced by nearly 9 magnitudes.^[3]

Wray 17-96 is also notable for its highly symmetrical ring-shaped 10 M_☉ gas shell,^[3] which was originally classified as a planetary nebula.^[10]