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