<p>New studies of the Tarantula Nebula, seen in a recently released picture from the <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/">European Southern Observatory</a>'s Very Large Telescope, have revealed a stellar surprise.</p><p>Among the nebula's denizens is an extraordinarily bright star dubbed VFTS 682 that's 150 times the mass of the sun. The star is an oddity because it sits alone, even though such massive stars are normally found only in crowded clusters.</p><p>Astronomers think the mysterious loner may have been ejected from a nearby cluster, R 136, which is filled with similar giants.</p>
Solitary Superstar
New studies of the Tarantula Nebula, seen in a recently released picture from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, have revealed a stellar surprise.
Among the nebula's denizens is an extraordinarily bright star dubbed VFTS 682 that's 150 times the mass of the sun. The star is an oddity because it sits alone, even though such massive stars are normally found only in crowded clusters.
Astronomers think the mysterious loner may have been ejected from a nearby cluster, R 136, which is filled with similar giants.
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