WR 20a:: A massive cornerstone binary system comprising two extreme early-type stars

We analyse spectroscopic observations of WR20a revealing that this star is a massive early-type binary system with a most probable orbital period of similar to3.675 days. Our spectra indicate that both components are most likely of WN6ha or 031f*/WN6ha spectral type. The orbital solution for a period of 3.675 days yields extremely large minimum masses of 70.7 +/- 4.0 and 68.8 +/- 3.8 M. for the two stars. These properties make WR 20a a cornerstone system for the study of massive star evolution.