Definition
An extremely hot, massive star that has shed its outer hydrogen layers, revealing its helium core and producing strong stellar winds with velocities up to 3,000 km/s. These rare stars represent a brief evolutionary phase before core collapse and supernova explosion.
Etymology
Named after French astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet who discovered the first examples in 1867 at the Paris Observatory. They noticed these stars had unusual emission lines rather than the typical absorption lines, indicating extremely hot, fast-moving gas around the star.
Kelly Says
Wolf-Rayet stars are cosmic strip-teasers, literally blowing off their outer layers at incredible speeds! These stellar powerhouses are so hot (50,000-200,000 K) that they ionize gas hundreds of light-years away, creating spectacular bubble nebulae. They're the immediate precursors to some of the most energetic supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, making them cosmic time bombs ticking away in our galaxy.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ወልፍ-ሬይት ፀሐይ
welff-reyit ts'ah-ay
ARالعربية
نجم وولف-راييت
najmu wulf-rayyit
BNবাংলা
উলফ-রেয়েট তারা
ulff-reyet tara
CACatalà
estrella Wolf-Rayet
es-treh-la vulf-ray-et
CSČeština
hvězda Wolf-Rayet
hvezda vulf-ray-et
DADansk
Wolf-Rayet-stjerne
vulf-ray-et-shtern-e
DEDeutsch
Wolf-Rayet-Stern
volf-ray-et-shtern
ELΕλληνικά
αστέρας Wolf-Rayet
asteras vulf-ray-et
ESEspañol
estrella Wolf-Rayet
es-treh-ya deh Wolf-Ray-et
FAفارسی
ستاره ولف-رایت
estarah vulf-ray-et
FISuomi
Wolf-Rayet-tähti
vulf-ray-et-tah-ti
FRFrançais
étoile de Wolf-Rayet
etwah duh Wolf-Ray-eh
GUGU
વોલ્ફ-રેયેટ તારા
volff-ray-et tara
HAHA
takarar Wolf-Rayet
taka-rar vulf-ray-et
HEעברית
כוכב וולף-רייエット
kovev vulf-ray-et
HIहिन्दी
वुल्फ-रेयेत तारा
vulff-rayyet tara
HUMagyar
Wolf-Rayet csillag
vulf-ray-et chillag
IDBahasa Indonesia
bintang Wolf-Rayet
bin-tang vulf-ray-et
IGIG
Wolf-Rayet ụwa
vulf-ray-et uwa
ITItaliano
stella di Wolf-Rayet
steh-la di Wolf-Ray-et
JA日本語
ウルフ・レイエット星
uru-fu rei-ya-tto hoshi
KKKK
Вольф-Райет жұлдызы
vulf-ray-et zhuldysy
KMKM
chandra Wolf-Rayet
chan-dra vulf-ray-et
KO한국어
울프레이에트 별
ul-peu-rae-ye-teu byeol
MRMR
व्हॉल्फ-रेयेत तारा
vholff-ray-et tara
MSBahasa Melayu
bintang Wolf-Rayet
bin-tang vulf-ray-et
MYမြန်မာ
ဝULF-REYET တပ်
wa vulf-ray-et tap
NLNederlands
Wolf-Rayet ster
vulf-ray-et ster
NONorsk
Wolf-Rayet-stjerne
vulf-ray-et-shtern-e
PAPA
ਵ />); Wolf-Rayet ਤਾਰਾ
v />); vulf-ray-et tara
PLPolski
gwiazda Wolf-Rayet
gwiazda vulf-ray-et
PTPortuguês
estrela de Wolf-Rayet
es-treh-la deh Wolf-Ray-et
RORomână
stea Wolf-Rayet
stea vulf-ray-et
RUРусский
звезда Вольфа-Райета
zvezda Volfa-Rayeta
SVSvenska
Wolf-Rayet-stjärna
vulf-ray-et-shtern-a
SWKiswahili
nyota ya Wolf-Rayet
nyo-ta ya vulf-ray-et
TAதமிழ்
வ Wolf-Rayet நட்சத்திரம்
va vulf-ray-et natchathiram
TEతెలుగు
వ Wolf-Rayet నక్షత్రం
va vulf-ray-et nakshthram
THไทย
ดาว Wolf-Rayet
dao vulf-ray-et
TLTL
bituin Wolf-Rayet
bi-tu-in vulf-ray-et
TRTürkçe
Wolf-Rayet yıldızı
vulf-ray-et yildiz-i
UKУкраїнська
зірка Вольфа-Райета
zіrka Volfa-Rayeta
URاردو
ولف-رائیٹ ستارہ
vulf-ray-it sitarah
VITiếng Việt
sao Wolf-Rayet
sao vulf-ray-et
YOYO
Wolf-Rayet ọ̀rọ̀
vulf-ray-et o-ro
ZH中文
沃尔夫-雷耶特星
wò'ěrf-léiyè tè xīng
ZUZU
inkanyezi ye-Wolf-Rayet
inkanyezi ye vulf-ray-et
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Named for astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet (both male, 1867). The discovery and naming convention reflects 19th-century male-dominated observatories. Female observers like Williamina Fleming catalogued thousands of spectral types simultaneously with minimal recognition.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'Wolf-Rayet star' or 'W-R star' as-is; it's the standard term. When citing this discovery, mention Williamina Fleming's contemporary work on stellar spectroscopy at Harvard Observatory.
Empowerment Note
Williamina Fleming, a Scottish immigrant hired as a 'computer' at Harvard Observatory, discovered 10 novae and catalogued over 10,000 stars while earning a fraction of male colleagues' wages. Her spectroscopic work directly enabled the classification of Wolf-Rayet stars.