The Astrology of Space - Matrix Software

The Astrology of Space
Wolf-Rayet Stars
The Wolf-Rayet stars or W stars are very blue and
very hot. Their spectra display wide emission lines.
About 25% of them are spectroscopic binaries and
some are eclipsing binaries. They are enormously
concentrated toward the galactic equator. Forty
percent are within one degree of the equator, 70%
within two degrees, and 95% within 5 degrees. Wolf-
Rayet stars are highly luminous and very short-lived.
They are of great value (potentially) in locating and
tracing the spiral-arm pattern of our galaxy, since they
do not have time to move far from the spiral arm
where they originate. Several of these stars have
been discovered as the central exciting star in
planetary nebulae.
The Wolf-Rayet stars seem to comprise two separate
spectral sequences, carbon and nitrogen stars, whose
special characteristics indicate different chemical
compositions. It has not been decided just where
these stars fit into the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
Their high temperatures and high luminosities indicate
that they should come before the O's, while their
tenuous atmospheric shells or envelopes suggest a
relationship with the giant M's or the symbiotic
objects.
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