TheRMC 136 cluster. Melnick 42 is just above the main cluster in the rightmost image.
Melnick 42 is a massiveblue supergiantstar in theTarantula Nebula in theLarge Magellanic Cloud located in theconstellationDorado. Although it is only 21 times the size of the sun, its high temperature of 47,300 K makes it one of themost luminous stars of the Tarantula Nebula at 3,600,000 L☉. It is less than two parsecs from the centre of theR136 cluster, although that is well outside the central core.
Mk 42 was originally classified as spectral type WN when it was discovered, then as O3 If. When theslash stars were defined it was given the spectral type O3 If*/WN6. Finally, the introduction of the spectral class O2 and the refinement of slash star classifications led to it being tagged as O2 If*. Although it is given asupergiantluminosity class, it is effectively amain sequence star still burning hydrogen in its core. It is thought to be less than a million years old.[8]
^abcDoran, E. I.; Crowther, P. A.; De Koter, A.; Evans, C. J.; McEvoy, C.; Walborn, N. R.; Bastian, N.; Bestenlehner, J. M.; Gräfener, G.; Herrero, A.; Köhler, K.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Najarro, F.; Puls, J.; Sana, H.; Schneider, F. R. N.; Taylor, W. D.; Van Loon, J. Th.; Vink, J. S. (2013). "The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey. XI. A census of the hot luminous stars and their feedback in 30 Doradus".Astronomy & Astrophysics.558: A134.arXiv:1308.3412.Bibcode:2013A&A...558A.134D.doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321824.S2CID118510909.
^abcdeBestenlehner, J. M.; Gräfener, G.; Vink, J. S.; Najarro, F.; De Koter, A.; Sana, H.; Evans, C. J.; Crowther, P. A.; Hénault-Brunet, V.; Herrero, A.; Langer, N.; Schneider, F. R. N.; Simón-Díaz, S.; Taylor, W. D.; Walborn, N. R. (2014). "The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey. XVII. Physical and wind properties of massive stars at the top of the main sequence".Astronomy & Astrophysics.570: A38.arXiv:1407.1837.Bibcode:2014A&A...570A..38B.doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201423643.S2CID118606369.
^Hainich, R.; Rühling, U.; Todt, H.; Oskinova, L. M.; Liermann, A.; Gräfener, G.; Foellmi, C.; Schnurr, O.; Hamann, W. -R. (2014). "The Wolf-Rayet stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud: A comprehensive analysis of the WN class".Astronomy & Astrophysics.565: A27.arXiv:1401.5474v1.Bibcode:2014A&A...565A..27H.doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322696.S2CID55123954.
^abPuls, J.; Kudritzki, R.-P.; Herrero, A.; Pauldrach, A. W. A.; Haser, S. M.; Lennon, D. J.; Gabler, R.; Voels, S. A.; Vilchez, J. M.; Wachter, S.; Feldmeier, A. (1996). "O-star mass-loss and wind momentum rates in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds Observations and theoretical predictions".Astronomy and Astrophysics.305: 171.Bibcode:1996A&A...305..171P.
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