An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A class of → O-type stars whose spectra show He II 4686 absorption line much stronger than any other He line especially He II 4541 or He I 4471. Vz stars are thought to be young stars lying close to the → ZAMS (Walborn & Parker 1992, ApJ 399, L87). Alternatively, the Vz characteristics may be related to the wind properties rather than to the youth of the star (Martins et al., 2005, A&A 441, 735).

See also: V indicating → main sequence, z for “zero age;” → star.