My six-year-old daughter is a question-asking machine. A couple of days ago we were driving home from school, and she asked me about nature. One of her questions was, " Which star is the largest in the Universe??" I gave a simple answer. "The universe is a big place," I said, "and there is no way we can know which star is the biggest"But that's not the real answer.
Radius and mass of the Sun:
When talking about star sizes, it's important to first look at ours for a sense of scale. Our star has a diameter of 1.4 million kilometers. This is such a huge number that it is difficult to get a sense of scale. By the way, the Sun accounts for 99.9% of all matter in our planet. In fact, you could fit a million inside the volume of the Sun.
Using these values, astronomers created the concepts of "solar radius" and "solar mass", which they use to compare stars of larger or smaller size and mass to our Sun. The solar radius is 690,000 km and the solar mass is 2 x 10 30 kg. This is 2 nonillion kilograms, or 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg.
Illustration of a Morgan-Keenan spectral diagram showing the differences between main sequence stars. Credit: Wikipedia Commons.
It's also worth considering the fact that our Sun is quite small, a G-class main sequence star (specifically a G2V star), which is commonly known as being on the smaller side of the size chart (see above). Although the Sun is definitely larger than the most common M-class stars, or red dwarfs, it is itself dwarf (no pun intended!) compared to blue giants and other spectral classes of stars.
Classification:
Stars are grouped based on their characteristics, such as spectral type (i.e. color), temperature, size and brightness. The most common classification method is called the Morgan-Keenan (MK) system, which classifies stars based on temperature using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K and M, with O being the hottest stars and M being the coldest. Each letter class is divided into numerical subclasses from 0 (hottest) to 9 (coldest). That is, the hottest stars are O1, and the coldest stars are M9.
In the Morgan-Keenan system, luminosity class is added using Roman numerals. This is done based on the specific width of absorption lines in the star's spectrum, which vary depending on the density of the atmosphere, which distinguishes giant stars from dwarfs. Luminosity has classes 0 and I as applied to hyper- and supergiants; classes II, III and IV as applied to bright, normal giants and subgiants, respectively; class V for main sequence stars; and classes VI and VII apply to subdwarfs and dwarfs.
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram showing the relationship between star color, luminosity, and temperature. Credit: astronomy.starrynight.com
There is also a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram relating to stellar classification by absolute magnitude (i.e. true brightness), luminosity and surface temperature. The same classification is used for spectral types, ranging from blue and white at one end to red at the other, which then groups stars together by absolute magnitude, placing them on a two-dimensional graph (see above).
On average, O-class stars are hotter than other classes of stars, reaching effective temperatures of up to 30,000 Kelvin. At the same time, they are larger and more massive, reaching sizes of more than 6.5 solar radii and up to 16 solar masses. At the lower end of the diagram, K- and M-class stars (orange and red dwarfs) tend to be cooler with temperatures between 2400 and 5700 Kelvin, which is 0.7 - 0.96 from and somewhere between 0.08 - 0. 8 of solar mass.
Based on the full classification of our Sun (G2V), we can say that it is a main sequence star with a temperature of about 5800 Kelvin. Now let's look at another famous star system in our galaxy - Eta Carinae- a system containing at least two stars located at a distance of 7500 light years from us in the direction of the constellation Carina. The main star of this system is estimated to be 250 times larger than the Sun, has a mass of at least 120 solar masses and is a million times brighter than the Sun, making it one of the largest and brightest stars ever observed.
Eta Carinae, one of the most massive known stars, is located in the constellation Carina. Credit: NASA
There is currently debate about the size of this star. Most stars emit a stellar wind (the same as wind), losing mass over time. But Eta Carina so large that it sheds 500 times more mass annually. With such mass loss, it is difficult for astronomers to accurately measure where the star ends and the stellar wind begins. In addition, scientists believe that Eta Carina will explode in the not so distant future, and it will be the most spectacular thing people have ever seen.
In terms of sheer mass, first place goes to star R136a1, located at a distance of 163,000 light years from us. It is believed that this star may contain 315 solar masses, which is a mystery to astronomers as they believe that stars can only contain a maximum of 150 solar masses. The answer lies in the fact that star R136a1 was most likely formed when several massive stars merged together. Needless to say, R136a1 could explode like .
In terms of big stars, a good (and popular) example is Betelgeuse. Located in the shoulder of Orion, this famous supergiant has a radius of approximately 950-1200 solar radii, a radius that would engulf the Sun in our Solar System. In fact, whenever we want to put the size of our Sun into perspective, we often use Betelgeuse to do this (see below).
However, even after we use this lumbering red giant to compare the Sun to larger stars, there are still larger stars left. Let's consider star WOH G64, a red supergiant located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, approximately 168,000 light-years from Earth. With a diameter of 1540 solar radii, this star is currently the largest star known to us in the Universe.
But there is also RW Cepheus, an orange hypergiant in the constellation Cepheus, located 3500 light years from Earth and measuring 1535 solar radii in diameter. Star Westerland 1-26 (Westerlund 1-26) unusually large, it is a red supergiant (or hypergiant), located in the stellar supercluster Westerlund 1 at a distance of 11,500 light years from us and measuring 1,530 solar radii in diameter. Meanwhile, stars V354 Cephei and VX Sagittarius also have huge dimensions of 1520 solar radii in diameter.
The largest star is UY Scuti (UY Scuti)
The title of the biggest star in the Universe(that we know of) comes down to two contenders. For example, UY Shield Currently at the top of the list, located 9,500 light-years away in the constellation Scutum, this bright red supergiant and pulsating variable star has an average radius of 1,708 solar radii - or 2.4 billion kilometers (15.9 AU) , thereby giving it a volume of 5 million volumes of the Sun.
However, this average estimate includes an error of ±192 solar radii, which means the radius of this star could be either 1900 or 1516 solar radii. The lower bound places it on par with V354 Cephei and VX Sagittarii. Meanwhile, the second largest star in the list of possible biggest stars- This NML Cygni (NML Cygni), a semi-regular variable red hypergiant star located in the constellation Cygnus at a distance of 5300 light years from Earth.
An enlarged image of the red giant UY Scuti. Credit: Rutherford Observatory/Haktarfone.
Due to the location of this star in , it is heavily obscured by dust. As a result, according to astronomers, its size can range from 1642 to 2775 solar radii, which means it could become the largest star known in the Universe(with a margin of about 1000 solar radii), or in fact the second largest, keeping up with UY Shield.
Just a few years ago the title the largest star wore VY Canis Majoris(VY Canis Majoris), a red hypergiant in the constellation Canis Major, located 5000 light years from Earth. Back in 2006, Professor Roberta Humphrey of the University of Minnesota calculated the upper limit of its size to be 1540 times larger than the Sun. Its average mass, however, was 1420 solar masses, which places it in 8th place behind V354 Cepheus and VX Sagittarius.
The above were listed biggest stars, which we know about, but most likely there are dozens of larger stars hidden by dust and gas, so we don’t see them. But even if we can't detect these stars, we can speculate about their likely size and mass. So how big can stars be?? Once again, Professor Roberta Humphrey from Minnesota gave the answer.
Comparison of the sizes of the Sun and VY Canis Majoris, a star that once held the title largest known star in the universe. Credit: Wikipedia Commons/Oona Räisänen.
As she explained in her article, largest stars in the universe- the coldest. Therefore, although Eta Carina is the brightest star we know of, it is extremely hot (25,000 Kelvin) and therefore only 250 solar radii in diameter. The largest stars, on the contrary, will be cold supergiants. As in the case VY Canis Majoris, which has a temperature of 3500 Kelvin, and a really large star will be even cooler.
At 3000 Kelvin, Humphrey estimates the cool supergiant would be 2600 times the size of the Sun. This is below the upper limit of estimates for NML Swan, but above the average ratings for both NML Swan, and for UY Shield. Therefore, this is the upper limit of the star (at least theoretically and based on all the information we have to date).
But as we continue to peer at the Universe with all our telescopes and study it with robotic spacecraft and manned missions, you are sure to find new amazing things that will continue to amaze us!
And be sure to check out this amazing animation below, which shows the sizes of various objects in space, from tiny to star UY Scuti. Enjoy!
Title of the article you read "Which star is the largest in the Universe?".
Myriads of stars dot the night sky. And to a person from Earth they seem exactly the same. Well, in some parts of the sky, for example, in the Milky Way region, stars merge into luminous streams.
This is because there are an incredibly large number of stars in the Universe.
In fact, there are so many of them that even the knowledge of modern researchers, which was obtained using the latest equipment (by the way, it allows you to look into the territory of space 9 billion light years away) is not enough.
There are currently approximately 50 billion stars in the depths of space. And every day the figure is only growing, because scientists do not get tired of exploring space and making new discoveries.
Brighter than the Sun
All stars in the Universe have different diameters. And even our Sun is not the largest star, nor is it small. It has a diameter of 1,391,000 kilometers. There are heavier stars in the Universe; they are called hypergiants. For quite a long time, VY, which is located in the constellation Canis Major, was considered the largest star. Not so long ago, the radius of the star was clarified - and approximately ranges from 1300 to 1540 solar radii. The diameter of this supergiant is about 2 billion kilometers. VY is located 5 thousand light years from the Solar System.
Scientists have calculated, to imagine how gigantic the size is, one revolution around a hypergiant star will take 1200 years, and then if you fly at a speed of 800 kilometers per hour. Or, if you reduce the Earth to 1 centimeter and also proportionally reduce VY, then the size of the latter will be 2.2 kilometers.
The mass of this star is not that impressive. VY is only 40 times heavier than the Sun. This happened because the density of the gases inside it is incredibly low. Well, one can only admire the brightness of the star. It shines 500 thousand times stronger than our heavenly body.
The first observations of VY that were recorded are in the star catalog of Joseph Jérôme de Lalande. The information dates back to March 7, 1801. Scientists have indicated that VY is a seventh magnitude star.
But in 1847, information appeared that VY has a crimson tint. In the nineteenth century, researchers discovered that the star had at least six discrete components, making it likely a multiple star. But it has now become clear that the discrete components are nothing more than bright areas of the nebula that surrounds the hypergiant. Visual observations in 1957 and high-quality images in 1998 showed that VY lacks a companion star.
However, by our time, the largest star in the universe has already lost more than half of its mass. That is, the star is aging and its hydrogen fuel is already running out. The outer part of VY has become larger due to the fact that gravity can no longer prevent weight loss. Scientists say that when a star runs out of fuel, it will likely explode into a supernova and become a neutron star or black hole. According to observations, the star has been losing its brightness since 1850.
Lost Leadership
However, scientists do not stop studying the Universe even for a minute. Therefore, this record was broken. Astronomers have found an even larger star in the vastness of space. The discovery was made by a group of British scientists led by Paul Crowther at the end of the summer of 2010.
Researchers studied the Large Magellanic Cloud and found the star R136a1. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope helped make this incredible discovery.
The giant is 256 times more massive than our Sun. But R136a1 is ten million times brighter than the celestial body. Such fantastic figures became a revelation for scientists, because it was believed that stars that exceed the mass of the Sun by more than 150 times did not exist.
And while continuing to explore clusters of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, experts have found several more stars that have exceeded this threshold. Well, R136a1 turned out to be a real record holder. The most interesting thing is that throughout their existence, stars lose their mass. At least, such statements are made by scientists. And R136a1 has now lost one fifth of its original mass. According to calculations, it was equal to 320 solar masses.
By the way, according to experts’ calculations, if such a star were imagined in our Galaxy, it would be brighter than the Sun as much as the Sun is brighter than the Moon.
Record-breaking stars
But the brightest stars in the visible sky are Rigel and Deneb from the constellations Orion and Cygnus, respectively. Each shines 55 thousand times and 72.5 thousand times brighter than the Sun. These luminaries are 1600 and 820 light years away from us.
Another bright star from the Orion constellation is the star Betelgeuse. It is the third most luminous. It is 22 thousand times brighter than sunlight in terms of light emission power. By the way, the most bright stars are collected in Orion, although their brightness changes periodically.
But the brightest among the stars closest to Earth is Sirius from the constellation Canis Major. It shines only 23.5 times brighter than our Sun. And the distance to this star is 8.6 light years. In the same constellation there is another bright star - Adara. This star is as luminous as 8,700 Suns combined at a distance of 650 light years. Well, the North Star, which many incorrectly consider the brightest visible star, shines 6 thousand times brighter than the Sun. Polaris is located at the tip of Ursa Minor and is 780 light years away from Earth.
If instead of the Sun there were other stars and planets
It is noteworthy that astronomers single out the zodiac constellation Taurus from the total mass. It contains an unusual star, which is distinguished by its supergiant density and rather small spherical size. According to astrophysicists, it mainly consists of fast neutrons that fly apart. It was once the brightest star in the Universe.
Star R136a1 and the Sun
Scientists say blue stars have great luminosity. The brightest known is UW SMa. It is 860 thousand times brighter than our heavenly body. But this figure drops rapidly as the brightness of stars changes over time. For example, according to the chronicle, which is dated July 4, 1054, the brightest star was in the constellation Taurus; it could be seen in the sky with the naked eye even in the middle of the day. But over time, the star began to dim and after a while disappeared altogether. And in the place where it shone, a nebula formed that looked like a crab. This is how the name Crab Nebula came about. It appeared after a supernova explosion. By the way, modern scientists in the center of this nebula have found a powerful source of radio emission, in other words, a pulsar. This is the remnant of that bright supernova that was described in the ancient chronicle.
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The Sun is not the largest star in the Universe. Compared to other stars, it can even be called small. But on the scale of our planet, the Sun is truly huge. Its diameter is 1.39 million km, it contains 99.86% of all matter in the Solar System, and inside the star you can place a million planets like our Earth.
The one and only for the inhabitants of the Earth, the Sun is just one of the billions of billions of stars located in our Milky Way galaxy, and beyond it - in the endless Universe. Some of these stars are truly huge: they are clearly visible in the electromagnetic spectrum and have such a significant gravitational effect on nearby celestial bodies that we can detect them even if they are millions of light years away from our planet. Their sizes are so large that a person is simply unable to imagine such a gigantic object, so they are measured not in kilometers, but in solar radii and solar mass. One solar radius is 696,342 km, and one solar mass is approximately 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg.
Stars that stand out significantly from others due to their mass and size are classified as hypergiants. Among the many hypergiants recorded in the vast expanses of the universe, three of them can be particularly highlighted.
R136a1
The largest star will not always be the heaviest, and conversely, the heaviest star does not have to be the largest. This is easily proven by a star with the beautiful name R136a1. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud at a distance of 165,000 light years from Earth, its mass is 265 solar masses, which is an absolute record at the moment, while its radius is “only” 31 solar radii. The huge fuel reserves inside this hypergiant and its extremely high density of matter allow R136a1 to emit 10 million times more light than the Sun, making it the brightest and most powerful star discovered to date. Scientists suggest that at the beginning of its life this star could reach 320 solar masses, however, stellar matter in the atmosphere of R136a1 accelerates beyond the second escape velocity and overcomes the gravity of this celestial body, which generates a strong stellar wind, i.e. the outflow of stellar matter into interstellar space with a rapid loss of its mass.
UY Scuti will not amaze you with its mass, which is 10 solar radii, but you will be surprised by its colossal size - about 1500 solar radii. The distance to UY Scuti is 9500 light years, and at such a distance it is difficult to say the exact radius of the star, but astronomers suggest that during pulsations it can increase to 2000 solar radii! If such a giant were placed in the center of the solar system, it would absorb all of space, including the orbit of Jupiter along with the planet itself. The volume of this hypergiant is 5 billion times greater than the volume of the Sun.
UY Scutum in the constellation Scutum | UY Scuti is located at a distance of almost ten thousand light years from the Solar System, but due to the fact that the star is one of the brightest among those discovered, it can be easily seen from Earth with a regular amateur telescope, and in particularly favorable conditions with the naked eye. By the way, if UY Scuti were not surrounded by a large cloud of dust, then this star would be the fifth brightest object in the night sky, whereas now it is the eleventh.
NML Swan
The star NML Cygni is a real record holder with a radius equal to 1650 solar radii. During pulsations of a star, the radius can reach about 2700 solar radii! If you place this hypergiant at the center of the solar system, its photosphere will extend far beyond the orbit of Jupiter, covering half the distance to Saturn.
Photo of the group of stars Cygnus OB2 | source The star NML Cygni, located in the constellation Cygnus at a distance of 5300 light years from Earth, is the largest star currently known to astronomy. However, we can say with confidence that further space exploration will bring new discoveries and records.
Living our lives on the satellite of a small star on the outskirts of the Universe, we cannot even imagine its true scope. The size of the Sun seems incredible to us, and a larger star simply does not fit into our imagination. What can we say about monster stars - super and hyper giants next to which our Sun is no larger than a speck of dust.
| N | Star | Optimum | Score Limits |
| 1 | 2037 | 1530-2544 | |
| 2 | 1770 | 1540-2000 | |
| 3 | 1708 | 1516-1900 | |
| 4 | 1700 | 1050-1900 | |
| 5 | 1535 | ||
| 6 | 1520 | 850-1940 | |
| 7 | 1490 | 950-2030 | |
| 8 | 1420 | 1420-2850 | |
| 9 | 1420 | 1300-1540 | |
| 10 | 1411 | 1287-1535 | |
| 11 | 1260 | 650-1420 | |
| 12 | 1240 | 916-1240 | |
| 13 | 1230 | 780-1230 | |
| 14 | 1205 | 690-1520 | |
| 15 | 1190 | 1190-1340 | |
| 16 | 1183 | 1183-2775 | |
| 17 | 1140 | 856-1553 | |
| 18 | 1090 | ||
| 19 | 1070 | 1070-1500 | |
| 20 | 1060 | ||
| 21 | 1009 | 1009-1460 |
The star is located in the Altar Constellation, being the largest cosmic object in it. It was discovered by the Swedish astronomer Västerlund, after whom it was named in 1961.
Westerland 1-26 has a mass 35 times greater than the Sun. The brightness is 400,000. However, it is impossible to see the star with the naked eye due to its enormous distance from our planet, amounting to 13,500,000 light years. If you place Westerland in our solar system, its outer shell will engulf the orbit of Jupiter.
Giant from the Large Magellanic Cloud. The size of the star is almost 3 billion kilometers (1540 - 2000 solar radii), the distance to WOH G64 is 163 thousand light years. years.
The star has long been considered the largest, but recent studies have shown that its radius has decreased significantly, and according to some estimates for 2009, it was 1540 times the size of our star. Scientists suspect that a strong stellar wind is to blame.
UY Shield
In the Milky Way Constellation, and in the entire Universe known to mankind, this is the brightest and one of the largest stars. The distance of this red supergiant from Earth is 9,600 light years. The diameter changes quite actively (at least according to observations from Earth), so we can talk about an average of 1708 solar diameters.
The star belongs to the category of red supergiants, its luminosity exceeds that of the Sun by 120,000 times. The cosmic dust and gas that has accumulated around the star over billions of years of existence significantly reduces the luminosity of the star, so it is impossible to determine it more accurately.
Jupiter would be completely engulfed along with its orbit if the Sun were the size of UY Scuti. Oddly enough, for all its greatness, the star is only 10 times more massive than our star.
The star belongs to the class of binaries and is 5000 light years away from Earth. It is approximately 1700 times larger than our Sun in linear dimensions. VV Cephei A is considered one of the largest studied stars in our Galaxy.
The history of observations of it dates back to 1937. It was studied mainly by Russian astronomers. The studies revealed that the star darkens periodically once every 20 Earth years. In our Galaxy, it is considered one of the brightest stars. The mass of VV Cepheus A is approximately 80-100 times greater than that of the Sun.
The radius of the space object is 1535 times greater than the solar one, the mass is approximately 50. The brightness index of RW Cepheus is 650,000 times higher than that of the Sun. The surface temperature of the celestial object ranges from 3500 to 4200 K, depending on the intensity of thermonuclear reactions in the bowels of the star.
An extremely bright variable hypergiant from the constellation Sagittarius. VX Sagittarius pulsates in long irregular periods. This is the most studied supergiant star, its radius is 850 - 1940 solar and tends to decrease.
The distance from Earth to this yellow supergiant is 12,000 light years. The mass is equal to 39 solar masses (despite the fact that the mass of the star itself is 45 times greater than the mass of the Sun). The dimensions of V766 Centauri are amazing; it is 1490 times larger in diameter than our Sun.
The yellow giant is located in a system of two stars, representing a part of them. The location of the second star of this system is such that it touches V766 Centauri with its outer shell. The described object has a luminosity that is 1,000,000 times greater than that of the Sun.
According to some data, the largest star in the known Universe, its radius, according to some calculations, can reach 2850 solar. But more often it is accepted as 1420.
The mass of VY Canis Majoris is 17 times the mass of the Sun. The star was discovered at the beginning of the century before last. Later studies added information about all its main characteristics. The size of the star is so large that its flight around the equator takes eight light years.
The red giant is located in the constellation Canis Major. According to the latest scientific data, within the next 100 years the star will explode and turn into a supernova. The distance from our planet is approximately 4,500 light years, which in itself eliminates any danger from the explosion for humanity.
The diameter of this star, which belongs to the category of red supergiants, is approximately 1411 times the diameter of the Sun. The distance of AH Scorpius from our planet is 8900 light years.
The star is surrounded by a dense shell of dust, a fact confirmed by numerous photographs taken through telescopic observation. The processes occurring in the bowels of the star cause the variability of the star’s brightness.
The mass of AH Scorpius is equal to 16 solar masses, its diameter is 1200 times greater than that of the Sun. The maximum surface temperature is assumed to be 10,000 K, but this value is not fixed and can change in one direction or the other.
This star is also known as "Herschel's garnet star" after the astronomer who discovered it. It is located in the constellation Cepheus of the same name, is triple, and is 5600 light years away from Earth.
The main star of the system is MU Cephei A - a red supergiant, the radius of which, according to various estimates, is 1300-1650 times greater than the solar one. The mass of MU Cephei is 30 times greater than the Sun, the temperature at the surface is from 2000 to 2500 K. The luminosity of MU Cephei exceeds the Sun by more than 360,000 times.
This red supergiant belongs to the category of variable objects, located in the constellation Cygnus. The approximate distance from the Sun is 5500 light years.
The radius of BI Cygni is approximately 916-1240 solar radii. It has a mass 20 times greater than our star and a luminosity of 25,0000 times. The temperature of the upper layer of this space object is from 3500 to 3800 K. According to recent studies, the temperature on the surface of the star varies greatly due to intense thermonuclear reactions of the interior. During the period of greatest bursts of thermonuclear activity, the surface temperature can reach 5500 K.
A supergiant discovered in 1872, which becomes a hypergiant during maximum pulsation. The distance to S Perseus is 2420 parsecs, the pulsation radius is from 780 to 1230 r.s.
This red supergiant belongs to the category of irregular, variable objects with unpredictable pulsations. Located in the constellation Cepheus, 10,500 light years away. It is 45 times more massive than the Sun, its radius is 1500 times that of the Sun, which in digital terms is approximately 1,100,000,000 kilometers.
If we conventionally placed V354 Cephei at the center of the Solar System, Saturn would be located inside its surface.
This red giant is also a variable star. A semi-regular, fairly bright object is located about 9600 light years from our planet.
The radius of the star is within 1190-1940 solar radii. The mass is 30 times greater. The surface temperature of the object is 3700 K, the luminosity index of the star exceeds that of the Sun by 250,000 - 280,000 times.
The largest known star. At a temperature of 2300 K, its radius increases to 2775 solar, which is almost a third greater than any star known to us.
In the normal state, this figure is 1183.
The space object is located in the constellation Cygnus and belongs to the red variable supergiants. The average distance from our planet, according to astronomers, is from 4600 to 5800 light years. The estimated radius of the celestial object ranges from 856 to 1553 solar radii. This range of indicators is caused by different levels of pulsation of the star in different periods of time.
The mass of BC Cygnus is from 18 to 22 solar mass units. The surface temperature is from 2900 to 3700 K, the luminosity value is approximately 150,000 times higher than the sun.
This well-studied supergiant, classified as a variable star, is located in the Carina Nebula. The approximate distance of the space object from the Sun is 8500 light years.
Estimates of the red giant's radius vary significantly, ranging from 1090 times the radius of our star. The mass is 16 times greater than the mass of the Sun, the surface temperature is 3700-3900 K. The average luminosity of a star is from 130,000 to 190,000 solar.
This red giant is located in the constellation Centaurus, its distance from our planet, according to various estimates, is from 8,500 to 10,000 light years. To date, the object has been studied relatively little, and there is little information about it. It is only known that the radius of V396 Centauri exceeds that of the Sun by approximately 1070 times. Presumably the temperature on the surface of the star is also estimated. According to rough estimates, it is in the range of 3800 – 45,000 K.
CK Carinae belongs to the so-called “variable” stellar objects, located in the constellation Carinae, at a distance of approximately 7500 light years from our planet. Its radius is 1060 times greater than the Sun. Astronomers have calculated that if this object were located at the center of the solar system, the planet Mars would be on its surface.
The star has a mass exceeding the mass of the Sun by about 25 times. Luminosity – 170,000 Suns, surface temperature at 3550 K.
The star is a red supergiant whose mass is from 10 to 20 solar masses. Located in the constellation Sagittarius, the distance of the celestial body from our planet is 20,000 light years. The radius, according to maximum estimates, is approximately 1460 solar.
Its luminosity is 250,000 times greater than that of the sun. Surface temperature is from 3500 to 4000 K.
Modern astronomy defines stars as huge plasma balls consisting of incandescent mass. Humanity has always been interested in the question of what is the largest star in the Universe and what is its size. This rating includes the TOP 10 largest such objects known to mankind. However, it has a certain degree of convention - there are probably even larger luminaries in space, but we don’t know about them yet, and some of them are variable stars capable of contracting and expanding.
10. Mu Cephei
One of the largest and most powerful stars in our Galaxy with a luminosity 350 thousand times greater than the Sun is rightfully included in the TOP ten stars of our rating. It is approximately 650-1420 times larger than our star, and from its size it becomes clear which largest star is huge. Mu Cephei can accommodate up to 1 billion Suns and 2.7 quadrillion objects such as Earth in its area. If we imagine our planet in the form of an ordinary golf ball with a diameter of 4.3 cm, the width of this star on this scale would be 5500 meters, which is twice the corresponding size of the Golden Gate Bridge. Mu Cephei is 60 thousand brighter than the Sun, and its bolometric luminosity exceeds the solar luminosity by 350 times. At the same time, it belongs to the category of dying, since scientists have recorded irreversible processes of carbon synthesis on it.
9. V766 Centauri
The ranking of the largest stars also includes yellow supergiants. The radius of V766 Centauri is 1490 times larger than the Sun. The object has one distinctive feature - in fact, it is a double star together with HR 5171. Its “companion” is much smaller and is so close that it practically touches the more massive star. They are located in the constellation of the same name at a distance of about 12 thousand light years from the Sun.
8. AN Scorpio
Being a red supergiant with a radius of approximately 1411 solar, the object confirms the assumption of what the largest star looks like and what size it is. It is separated from Earth by 7.4 thousand light years. The star is surrounded by a dusty shell, and sources of its microwave radiation include water and silicon oxide. During the observation period, they approached AN Scorpius at a speed of 13 km/s, which confirmed the ongoing process of compression of the giant.
7. KY Swan
The hypergiant, thanks to its radius of 1420 solar, rightfully took its place in the TOP 10 largest stars in the Universe. This is a borderline star, and if it had a lower luminosity, it would no longer be classified as a supergiant. Located 5 thousand light years from Earth. KY Cygni is a very bright object that exceeds our star in this indicator by at least 138 thousand times.
6. VX Sagittarius
Another red supergiant included in the list of the largest. It belongs to the group of semi-regular variable stars; according to scientists, it is gradually losing mass due to the influence of stellar wind. Large stars in the Universe, as a rule, are located at a great distance from Earth, and VX Sagittarius is no exception - it is separated from our planet by about 5250 light years. The radius of the giant star ranges from 850 to 1940 solar, and its diameter probably exceeds the similar parameters of the asteroid belt of the Solar System.
5. Westerland 1-26
A red hypergiant located in the constellation Altar. It was discovered by the Swedish astronomer B. Westerlund in the star cluster system Westerlund 1. Anyone who wonders what the largest star is called needs to know that the luminosity of Westerlund 1-26 exceeds that of the Sun by 380 thousand times, and its surface temperature exceeds 3000 K. In the ESO photograph Westerlund 1 appears to be one of the most massive open clusters in the Galaxy.
4. RW Cepheus
A red hypergiant whose name comes from the constellation Cepheus. It is located 11.5 thousand light years away from our planet. It is no coincidence that it is included in the TOP 10 largest stars, since its radius is 1535 times greater than the solar radius. The luminosity of this large object is 625 thousand times greater than that of the Sun. At the end of its life, it can become a hypernova, and its core transforms into a black hole.
3. WON G64
The red supergiant of the Doradus constellation, the second largest star in the Universe. Its estimated radius can reach at least 1540 solar. According to astrophysicists, this large object, one of the TOP largest stars, has lost up to 1/3 of its mass due to stellar wind. Using the Very Large Telescope complex located in Chile, it was possible to obtain an image that helps to understand that the dust and gas around WON G64 forms a torus, reducing its luminosity to 280 thousand solar.
2. VY Canis Majoris
The hypergiant, well known to astronomers, which is named after the constellation of the same name, reaches a size of 1600 solar radii. Moreover, the mass of the object included in the list of the largest stars is only 17 times greater than the Sun, which confirms its extremely low density. The volume of the giant is 7·10 15 times greater than that of the Earth. Astrophysicists studying the star using the Hubble Space Telescope say it will explode as a hypernova in 100,000 years. This photo of VY Canis Majoris shows the star expelling large volumes of gas during its outburst.
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