Wolf‐Rayet Stars and Galaxies1

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Abstract
Wolf‐Rayet (W‐R) stars have strong broad emission lines of highly excited ions present in their optical spectra. These features have been found in massive, young but highly evolved, hot luminous stars and in the integrated spectra of some starburst galaxies. The stellar emission lines have their origin in robust winds with sufficient density that unit optical depth is formed in the outflowing material. The W‐R galaxy spectra arise from the superposition of the emission‐line spectra of many W‐R stars, seen in contrast to the starburst continuum. This occurs when sufficient numbers of W‐R stars are present, at a relatively early time in the history of the starburst. I will provide a brief overview of the history of W‐R stars, a glance at our current understanding of their nature and evolution, and a glimpse of their promise for providing information about starbursts near and far.