In fact, this question is not as simple as it seems. Determining the exact sizes of stars is very difficult; this is calculated on the basis of a lot of indirect data, because we cannot see their disks directly. Direct observation of the stellar disk has so far been carried out only for some large and nearby supergiants, and there are millions of stars in the sky. Therefore, determining which is the largest star in the Universe is not so simple - you have to rely mainly on calculated data.
In addition, for some stars the boundary between the surface and the huge atmosphere is very blurred, and it is difficult to understand where one ends and the other begins. But this is an error not of some hundreds, but of millions of kilometers.
Many stars do not have a strictly defined diameter; they pulsate and become larger and smaller. And they can change their diameter very significantly.
In addition, science does not stand still. More and more accurate measurements are being carried out, distances and other parameters are being clarified, and some stars suddenly turn out to be much more interesting than they seemed. This also applies to sizes. Therefore, we will consider several candidates that are among the largest stars in the Universe. Note that all of them are located not so far by cosmic standards, and they are also the most big stars in the Galaxy.
A red hypergiant that claims to be the largest star in the Universe. Alas, this is not true, but it is very close. In size it is in third place.
VV Cephei is a binary, and the giant in this system is component A, which will be discussed. The second component is an unremarkable blue star, 8 times larger than the Sun. But the red hypergiant is also a pulsating star, with a period of 150 days. Its size can vary from 1050 to 1900 times the diameter of the Sun, and at its maximum it shines 575,000 times brighter than our star!
This star is located 5000 light years away from us, and at the same time it has a brightness of 5.18 m in the sky, that is, with a clear sky and good vision, it can be found, and even easily with binoculars.
UY Shield
This red hypergiant is also striking in its size. Some sites mention it as the largest star in the Universe. It belongs to semi-regular variables and pulsates, so the diameter can vary - from 1708 to 1900 solar diameters. Just imagine a star 1900 times larger than our Sun! If you place it in the center solar system, then all the planets, up to Jupiter, will be inside it.
Sun, Sirius, Pollux, Arcturus, against the background of UY Scutum. It is probably the largest star in the Universe.
In numbers, the diameter of this one of the largest stars in space is 2.4 billion kilometers, or 15.9 astronomical units. 5 billion suns could fit inside it. Shines 340,000 times stronger than the sun, although the surface temperature is much lower - due to its larger area.
At its peak brightness, UY Scuti is visible as a faint reddish star with a brightness of 11.2 m, that is, it can be seen with a small telescope, but is not visible to the naked eye. The fact is that the distance to this large star is 9500 light years - we would not have seen another one at all. In addition, there are clouds of dust between us - if they were not there, UY Scuti would be one of the most bright stars, despite the enormous distance to it.
UY Scuti is a huge star. It can be compared with the previous candidate - VV Cepheus. At maximum they are approximately the same, and it is not even clear which one is larger. However, there is definitely an even bigger star!
VY Canis Majoris
The diameter of VY, however, according to some data, is estimated at 1800-2100 solar, that is, it is a clear record holder among all other red hypergiants. If it were in the center of the solar system, it would swallow all the planets, along with Saturn. The previous candidates for the title of the largest stars in the Universe would also fit completely into it.
It only takes 14.5 seconds for light to circle our Sun completely. To go around VY Canis Major, the light would have to fly 8.5 hours! If you decided to fly around the surface in a fighter jet at a speed of 4500 km/h, such a non-stop journey would take 220 years.
Comparison of the sizes of the Sun and VY Canis Majoris.
This star still raises a lot of questions, since its exact size is difficult to establish due to the blurry corona, which has a much lower density than the solar one. And the star itself has a density thousands of times less than the density of the air we breathe.
In addition, VY Canis Majoris is losing its matter and has formed a noticeable nebula around itself. This nebula may now contain even more matter than the star itself. In addition, it is unstable, and in the next 100 thousand years it will explode as a hypernova. Fortunately, it is 3900 light years away, and this Earth terrible explosion not threatening.
This star can be found in the sky with binoculars or a small telescope - its brightness varies from 6.5 to 9.6 m.
Which star is the largest in the Universe?
We looked at several of the largest stars in the Universe known to scientists today. Their sizes are amazing. All of them are candidates for this title, but the data is constantly changing - science does not stand still. According to some data, UY Scuti can also “swell” to 2200 solar diameters, that is, become even larger than VY Canis Majoris. On the other hand, there is too much disagreement about the size of VY Canis Majoris. So these two stars are almost equal candidates for the title of the largest stars in the Universe.
Which of them will actually be larger will be shown by further research and clarification. While the majority is inclined in favor of UY Scuti, and you can safely call this star the largest in the Universe, it will be difficult to refute this statement.
Of course, it is not too correct to talk about the entire Universe. Perhaps this is the largest star in our Milky Way galaxy known to scientists today. But since even larger ones have not yet been discovered, it is still the largest in the Universe.
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Do you know what is the biggest star in the Universe? The Sun, which is the main luminary and the basis of our planetary system, is not even among the ten largest and brightest objects in outer space. At the same time, this rating is constantly undergoing changes due to the development of astronomical research technologies.
You will learn about the largest and brightest stars discovered on this moment. We will tell you about their main features and location, and also compare these luminaries with the Sun.
The largest star known
The name of the largest star in the Universe is UY Scuti (in Latin - UY Scuti). It is located in the constellation of the same name, 9.5 thousand light years from the Solar System. The giant object was discovered back in 1860 by astronomers from the German city of Bonn.
Physical parameters
The largest star in the Universe has a radius 1,708 times that of the Sun. And at the peak of the pulsation it expands to 1900 Suns. But, despite its gigantic size, UY Shield is quite lightweight. She's constantly losing a large number of substance and at the moment its mass is equal to the mass of ten Suns.
In terms of brightness, UY Scutum is second in all outer space. According to this indicator, it exceeds our luminary by 340 thousand times. But so much gas and dust has accumulated around it that it cannot be seen in the sky with the naked eye (visible magnitude level 11). At the same time, its brilliance is not constant, which makes UY Scuti a variable luminary.
The heaviest star
First place on the pedestal of the most massive stars in the Universe is occupied by R136a1, located in the Tarantula Nebula. This region of plasma is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, 163 thousand light years away from the Milky Way.
R136a1 was discovered by British astronomer Paul Crowther and his research team in 2010. While studying the RMC 136a cluster, they discovered an incredibly large object. The luminary turned out to be the largest in this formation, and in the entire observable Universe.
Characteristics of the star giant
R136a1 is a blue hypergiant. This is a rare category of stars that have the largest size, mass and brightness, but have a short lifespan.
The mass of the stellar giant exceeds the solar one by 315 times. This is one of the mysteries for scientists, because... Previously it was believed that no luminary could have a mass greater than 150 solar masses. But this rule applies to primary celestial bodies formed from helium-hydrogen clouds. R136a1 most likely formed through the merger of several large objects.
The radius of this star is 36 solar, and its brightness exceeds the Sun by almost 9 million times. Due to its size, the hypergiant emits very powerful streams of ions similar to solar wind. This makes it impossible for life to exist on bodies near it.
The lifespan of R136a1, like other stars with a mass of 150 solar masses or more, is quite short. After the supply of hydrogen in the core is depleted, these space objects explode to form hypernovae. The power of such an explosion exceeds the power of a supernova by more than 10 times. This produces huge bursts of gamma radiation. It is believed that it was the explosion of one of these hypernovae near the solar system that caused the extinction of life on Earth about 450 million years ago. The “death” of the heaviest star in the Universe, according to astronomers’ calculations, will not bring any harm to our planet.
The largest star in our galaxy
We figured out the largest known star in the Universe. But it is far from Earth and without the help of good optics it cannot be detected in the night sky. There are giants in our galaxy too. Topping their list is Eta Carinae. This unusual object is a system of two objects rotating around a common center of gravity.
The largest star in the Milky Way is located in the constellation Carina, which can be observed in the southern hemisphere of the starry sky. Light from it reaches the Earth in 7500 years.
The Eta Carinae system consists of two objects - the blue hypergiant Eta Carinae A and the blue star η Car B. The main component of the system is a variable luminary, has a mass of 150 Suns and a radius of about 800 solar. At the same time, the star is rapidly losing stellar matter and will soon become a supernova. η Car B is 30 times heavier and 20 times larger than the Sun. The temperature of its surface exceeds 37 * 10 3 K. Unlike the main component, this component of the Eta Carinae system has been little studied.
The components of the Eta Carinae system vary significantly in mass and size. The main one is the hypergiant Eta Carinae A, a huge variable star. It is 150 times heavier and almost 800 times heavier. This is one of the most unstable bodies in outer space. It quickly loses its substance, which will soon lead to a supernova explosion.
Component B, or η Car B, belongs to the spectral class O. Its mass is equal to 30 solar masses, and its radius is 20 times greater than the solar one. η Car B, like a satellite, rotates around the main component of the system.
Due to the variable luminosity of Eta Carinae A, the brightness of the entire system is constantly changing. The last observed peak of luminosity occurred in the 40s of the 19th century. At that time, the largest star in the Milky Way shone 50 million times brighter than the Sun. Then a pseudo-supernova explosion occurred, which reduced the brightness of Eta Carinae by 10 times. It remains at this level today. The second component of the system is several hundred thousand times brighter than the Sun.
The explosion of Eta Carinae A will not harm all living beings on the surface. However, this event could disable satellites on low earth orbit, and also affect the thickness of the ozone layer of the atmosphere.
Top 10 giants
There are many objects larger than the Sun in the Metagalaxy. We will list only the 10 largest stars in the Universe:
- VY Canis Majoris is a hypergiant constellation of the same name, located 1170 parsecs from the Solar System. The radius is 2000 solar. It is 270,000 times brighter than our star.
- VV Cephei is a two-component star system in the constellation Cepheus. It is 5 thousand light years away from Earth. Belongs to the group of red hypergiants. 1,700 times larger and 200,000 times brighter than the Sun.
- MY Cephei is another large star in the Cepheus constellation. Belongs to the group of red hypergiants. Radius – 1600 solar.
- V838 Monoceros - 20,000 light years away from Earth. Has variable luminosity. The size varies from 1200 to 1900 solar radii according to different groups researchers.
- WOH G64 is a red supergiant from the constellation Pisces. Light from it reaches the solar system in 163,000 years. Its size is 1540-2200 radii of our star, and its luminosity is 500,000 Suns.
- V354 Cephei is 690-1250 times larger than the Sun and 400,000 times brighter.
- KY Cygni - is located in the constellation of the same name, located 5 thousand light years from Earth. Its radius is 1450 solar.
- KW Sagittarius is a red supergiant, 1460 times larger than our star.
- RW Cepheus - its dimensions are from 1250 to 1650 solar radii.
Stars are large celestial bodies of hot plasma, the dimensions of which can amaze the most inquisitive reader. Are you ready to develop?
It’s worth noting right away that the rating was compiled taking into account those giants that humanity already knows about. It is possible that somewhere in outer space there are stars of even larger dimensions, but they are located at a distance of many light years, and modern equipment it is simply not enough to detect and analyze them. It is also worth adding that most stars will cease to be such over time, because they belong to the class of variables. Well, don’t forget about the possible errors of astrologers. So...
Top 10 biggest stars in the Universe
10
Opens the ranking of the largest stars in the Betelgeuse Galaxy, whose dimensions exceed the radius of the sun by 1190 times. It is located approximately 640 light years from Earth. Comparing with other stars, we can say that it is at a relatively short distance from our planet. The red giant may go supernova in the next few hundred years. In this case, its dimensions will increase significantly. For good reasons, the star Betelgeuse, occupying the last place in this ranking, is the most interesting!
RW
An amazing star, attracting with its extraordinary color of glow. Its size exceeds the dimensions of the sun from 1200 to 1600 solar radii. Unfortunately, we cannot say exactly how powerful and bright this star is, because it is located far from our planet. Leading astrologers from different countries. Everything is due to the fact that it regularly changes in the constellation. Over time, it may disappear altogether. But it still remains in the top of the largest celestial bodies.
Next in the ranking of the largest of famous stars goes KW Sagittarius. According to ancient Greek legend, she appeared after the death of Perseus and Andromeda. This suggests that this constellation was discovered long before our appearance. But unlike our ancestors, we know about more reliable data. It is known that the size of the star exceeds the Sun by 1470 times. Moreover, it is located relatively close to our planet. KW is a bright star that changes its temperature over time.
It is currently known for sure that the size of this large star exceeds the size of the Sun by at least 1430 times, but it is difficult to obtain an exact result because it is located 5 thousand light years from the planet. Even 13 years ago, American scientists provided completely different data. At that time, it was believed that KY Cygni had a radius that increased the size of the Sun by a factor of 2850. Now we have more reliable dimensions relative to this celestial body, which are certainly more accurate. Based on the name, you understand that the star is located in the constellation Cygnus.
A very large star included in the constellation Cepheus is V354, whose size is 1530 times larger than the Sun. Wherein heavenly body is located relatively close to our planet, only 9 thousand light years. It does not differ in particular brightness and temperature compared to other unique stars. However, it is a variable luminary, therefore, dimensions may vary. It is likely that Cepheus will not last long in this position in the V354 ranking. Most likely, the size will decrease over time.
A few years ago, it was believed that this red giant could become a competitor to VY Canis Majoris. Moreover, some experts conventionally considered WHO G64 to be the largest star known in our Universe. Today, in the age of rapid development of technology, astrologers have managed to obtain more reliable data. It is now known that the radius of Doradus is only 1550 times larger than the Sun. This is how huge errors are permissible in the field of astronomy. However, the incident can easily be explained by distance. The star is located outside the Milky Way. Namely, in a dwarf galaxy called the Vast Magellanic Cloud.
V838
One of the most unusual stars in the Universe, located in the constellation Monoceros. It is located approximately 20 thousand light years from our planet. Even the fact that our specialists managed to detect it is surprising. V838 was even larger than Mu Cephei. It is quite difficult to make accurate calculations regarding dimensions, due to the enormous distance from the Earth. Speaking of approximate size data, they range from 1170 to 1900 solar radii.
The constellation Cepheus contains many amazing stars, and Mu Cephei is considered proof of this. One of the largest stars is 1660 times the size of the Sun. The supergiant is considered one of the brightest in the Milky Way. About 37,000 times more powerful than the illumination of the star we know best, the Sun. Unfortunately, we cannot say unambiguously at what exact distance from our planet Mu Cephei is located.
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 one 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 along 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 the 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 similar parameters of the asteroid belt of the Solar System.
5. Westerland 1-26
A red hypergiant located in the constellation Altar. Discovered by Swedish astronomer B. Westerlund in the star cluster system Westerlund 1. Anyone wondering what the largest star is called needs to know that the luminosity of Westerlund 1-26 is 380 thousand times greater than that of the Sun, 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. At the same time, 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 a star using space Hubble telescope, they say that it will explode as a hypernova in 100 thousand years. This photo of VY Canis Majoris shows the star expelling large volumes of gas during its outburst.
36 2The closest star to Earth, which we call the Sun, is far from the largest. Despite the fact that humanity has currently been able to explore only a small part of the Universe, there are exactly as many stars and other space objects as modern equipment allows us to record and study; it is already known for certain about the existence of much larger luminaries, in comparison with which the Sun looks like a cosmic object. speck of dust The ten largest stars are known to every person interested in astronomy.
Despite their remoteness, for the most part they are clearly visible in the night sky, because the powerful stream of light from them can travel vast distances. So, what are they - the most big stars known to man Universe?
Supergiant of the constellation Scorpio Antares
Starting the story about the largest stars, it is necessary to pay attention to the supergiant from the constellation Scorpio - the red star has a radius approximately equal to 1200-1500, or a little more, solar radii. More precise data is not yet available. The distance of this object from the Earth is approximately 12 thousand light. years. The object is visible in the sky with the naked eye.
Bright star of the constellation Cygnus
KY Swan is also the leader in size among the known to modern humanity stars The distance from this object to Earth is approximately 5 thousand light years. The star has its own oddities - its mass exceeds that of the sun only 25 times, and its radius at the equator is 1420 solar. This object emits a million times more light than the Sun, which also makes it very noticeable on the horizon.
