S Doradus is one of the brightest stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located roughly 160,000 light-years away. The star is a luminous blue variable, and one of the most luminous stars known, having a luminosity varying widely above and below 1,000,000 times the luminosity of the Sun, although it is too far away to be seen with the naked eye.
S Doradus is the brightest individual star in NGC 1910, encircled by the lower "spiral arm". The bright star within the lower right nebulosity (N119) is R85. Credit: ESO
Large Magellanic Cloud. NGC 1910 is labelled near the centre of the image, and S Doradus is clearly visible at full size. (Credit: Robert Gendler/ESO)
Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are massive evolved stars that show unpredictable and sometimes dramatic variations in their spectra and brightness. They are also known as S Doradus variables after S Doradus, one of the brightest stars of the Large Magellanic Cloud. They are considered to be rare.
The Homunculus Nebula, produced by the Great Outburst of η Carinae
Stars similar to η Carinae in nearby galaxies
η Carinae, a luminous blue variable as seen from the Chandra X-ray Observatory
HD 168607 is the right star of the pair below the Omega Nebula. The other is the hypergiant HD 168625.
