Astronomers discover star masses can exceed 200 solar masses

An international team of astronomers has showed that a birth mass of stars of 200-300 solar masses, previously disputed, appears likely. The study revealed an "astonishing" overabundance of massive stars in a galaxy neighbouring the Milky Way. The findings have "far-reaching" consequences for our understanding of the universe, which could have more supernovae and black holes, said researchers.