Wolf-Rayet star

[ woolf-rahy-ey; French vawlf-ra-ye ]

noun

1. a very hot (35,000–100,000 K) and luminous star in the early stages of evolution, with broad emission lines in its spectrum.

Wolf-Rayet star

/ ˈwʊlfˈreɪət /

noun

1. any of a small class of very hot intensely luminous stars surrounded by a rapidly expanding envelope of gas

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wolf-Rayet star¹

1885–90; after French astronomers Charles J. E. Wolf (1827–1918) and Georges Rayet (1839–1906)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wolf-Rayet star¹

C19: named after Charles Wolf (1827–1918) and Georges Rayet (1839–1906), French astronomers

Example Sentences

Its features are strikingly similar to that of a Wolf-Rayet star, but HD 45166 has a different spectral signature altogether.

From Space Scoop

The Wolf-Rayet star WR 124, about 15,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation Sagitta, is one of the first observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope.

From Space Scoop

Its features are strikingly similar to that of a Wolf-Rayet star, but HD 45166 has a different spectral signature altogether.

From Space Scoop

The Wolf-Rayet star WR 124, about 15,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation Sagitta, is one of the first observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope.

From Space Scoop

Its features are strikingly similar to that of a Wolf-Rayet star, but HD 45166 has a different spectral signature altogether.

From Space Scoop