Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are rare, 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.

This is a list of luminous blue variable stars in order of their distance from Earth.

List

Milky Way galaxy (confirmed LBVs) Star system Nebula Median distance (ly) Spectral type Apparent magnitude (V) Comments and references P Cygni (34 Cygni) 5,251 B1-2 Ia-0ep 4.82 The closest luminous blue variable star to EarthV4029 Sagittarii (HD 168607)6,000B9Ia+8.12 to 8.29 near the Omega NebulaV905 Scorpii (HD 160529)6,100 LBV6.66 Eta Carinae 7,500 O + B −1.0 to ~7.6 part of Trumpler 16 in the Carina NebulaMWC 930 (V446 Scuti)11,400B5/9Iaeq11.51WRAY 16-13712,400 LBV15.5W1-24315,000 LBV15.81 in Westerlund 1HR Carinae16,000 LBV+RSG8.42V481 Scuti (LBV G24.73+0.69)17,000 LBV_B[e]: AG Carinae 17,000 B 6.96 EM* VRMF 55 (MN44)18,000 or 35,000 LBV15[GKF2010] MN4820,000 LBV 15.83GCIRS 34W (WR 101db)25,000Ofpe/WN9 in the Galactic Center Pistol Star (V4647 Sgr) 25,114 B >28 part of the Quintuplet ClusterLBV G0.120-0.048 (V4998 Sgr)26,000 WN5b near the Quintuplet ClusterFMM 362 (V4650 Sgr)26,000 LBV near the Quintuplet ClusterAFGL 2298 (V1672 Aql)30,000 B8IV432 Carinae (Wray 15-751)33,000 LBV10.20Also known as AT2019ooa[GKM2012] WS139,000 LBV15.31[GKF2010] MN58 LBV

Milky Way galaxy (candidate LBVs) Star systemNebulaMedian distance (ly) Spectral type Apparent magnitude (V) Comments and referencesHD 1489373,870O6f?p6.71 central star of NGC 6164MWC 349A (V1478 Cygni)4,560B0-1.5 I + B0 III13.15 maybe ejected from Cygnus OB2 HD 326823 4,700 WNpec9.03HD 1686255,000B6Ia+8.30–8.41 near the Omega NebulaCygnus OB2-125,500B3–4 Ia+11.702 in Cygnus OB2AS 3145,600B9Ia9.85Zeta1 Scorpii5,600B1.5 Iae4.705G79.29+0.465,700B:I[e]15.1 in Cygnus XWRAY 16-2326,850Be12.5HD 800778,700B2.5Ia+9.00HD 31628510,800B0Ieq9.60MWC 314 (V1429 Aquilae)15,000B3Ibe9.79 - 10.1[SBW2007] 118,500B1Iab12.7Sher 2521,000 cLBV12.23 in NGC 3603W51 LS1 (V1936 Aquilae)22,000O4I15.1WRAY 17-9622,000 cLBV~13.0[B61] 222,000 LBV_B[e]:15.00WR 102ka26,000WN10 near the Galactic CenterGCIRS 16SW27,000Ofpe/WN9 in the Galactic CenterLBV 1806−2028,000 cLBV part of the 1806−20 clusterHen 3-51928,000WN11h10.85MSX6C G026.4700+00.020730,000 LBV_B

Magellanic Clouds The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is around 163 kly distant, and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is around 204 kly distant.

Host galaxy Star system Spectral type Apparent magnitude (V) Comments and referencesLMC S Doradus B8/9eq – F0/5:Iae 8.6 – 11.5 LMC HD 269858 (R127) B 10.15LMCHD 269006 (R71) LBV10.55LMCHD 269216 (SK −69 75)OBe11.123LMCHD 269582 (SK −69 142a)WN10h11.093LMCHD 269662 (R110)A0Ia10.28LMCHD 269700 (R116)B1.5Iaeq10.54LMCR143 (CPD-69 463)F7Ia12.014SMCHD 5980 (R14)WN4+O7I:11.31SMCHD 6884 (R40)B9Ia0ek10.2

Andromeda Galaxy and Triangulum Galaxy The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is 2.5 Mly distant, and the Triangulum Galaxy is around 3.2 Mly distant.

Host galaxy Star system Spectral type Apparent magnitude (V) Comments and referencesAndromeda LGGS J004051.59+403303.0 LBV 16.989AndromedaAE Andromedae (HV 4476) LBV17.0–17.9AndromedaAF Andromedae (HV 4013) LBV17.325AndromedaVar 15 ([WB92a] 370) LBV18.450AndromedaVar A-1 LBV17.143AndromedaUCAC4 660-003111 LBV16.39TriangulumVar C LBV16.429TriangulumVar B LBV16.208TriangulumVar 83 LBV15.4–16.6TriangulumVar 2 (Y Trianguli)Ofpe/WN918.22TriangulumRomano’s Star (M33 V0532)Ofpe/WN916.5–18.8

Other Galaxies Host Galaxy Star system Median distance (ly) Spectral type Apparent magnitude (V) Comments and references NGC 3109 AT 2018akx 4,350,000 LBV 17.5 - 19.28 NGC 2403 AT 2016ccd 9,650,000 LBV 18.0 - 19.95 Also known as SNhunt225. NGC 2403 V14 LBV NGC 4214 SN 2010U 9,700,000 LBV 16 NGC 2363 NGC 2363-V1 10,800,000 LBV 17.88 One of the most luminous stars known. NGC 45 AT2018htr 21,700,000 LBV 17.469 Whirlpool Galaxy M51 OT2019-1 23,500,000 LBV NGC 2537 AT2017be 27,900,000 LBV 18.349 - 18.5 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 4559 AT2016blu 29,000,000 LBV 15.9 – 19 Repeated outbursts have been observed since January 2012. NGC 7286 AT2019mil 32,400,000 LBV 19 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. UGC 5829 AT2021blu 43,500,000 LBV 18.17 - 21.62 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 4656 Variable in NGC 4656 43,700,000 LBV 18 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 4389 AT2022fnm 44,700,000 LBV 18.495 - 17.855 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. ESO 249- G 015 AT2020agp 47,500,000 LBV 18.463 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 908 AT2021ablz 56,000,000 LBV 20.58 UGC 5979 SN2007sv 58,270,000 LBV 17.4 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. IC 5267A AT2019oet 60,000,000 LBV 18.335 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 3003 AT2020jev 61,200,000 LBV 18.74 - 20.33 Distance from NED using mean distance. NGC 2748 PSN J09132750+7627410 61,300,000 LBV 18.3 NGC 3423 AT2019ahd 65,600,000 LBV 17.83 - 18.73 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 1385 AT2020pju 66,400,000 LBV 17.3 - 19.73 NGC 718 AT2019udc 69,800,000 LBV 17.53 - 19.09 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. PHL 293B SDSS J2230–0006 75,510,000 LBV NGC 2770 SN 2015bh 77,000,000 LBV NGC 5334 SN2003gm 80,196,000 LBV 17.0 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 6509 PSN J17592296+0617267 95,300,000 LBV 18.5 NGC 4045 AT2019wbg 111,500,000 LBV 17.7 -19.39 Repeated outbursts observed since discovery. Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. NGC 4532 AT2017des 112,800,000 LBV 18.817 - 19.85 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. ESO 602- G 015 AT2022rmk 113,200,000 LBV 19.472 - 20.04 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. UGC 9113 AT2017dau 162,100,000 LBV 19.32 - 21.32 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. MCG +07-07-070 AT 2018kle 180,200,000 LBV 18.797 - 18.91 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. UGC 449 AT2022oku 239,100,000 LBV 18.781 - 19.49 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. WISEA J010803.49+010843.7 AT2020zmn 262,600,000 LBV 20.31 - 20.85 Distance from NED using redshift of host galaxy. Sunburst Galaxy Godzilla 10,900,000,000 LBV

See also List of Wolf-Rayet stars List of O-type stars

References