The universe is a very big place and there is no way we can tell which star is the biggest. But what is the largest star known to us?
Before we get to the answer, let's look at our own Sun for scale. Our mighty star is 1.4 million km across. This is such a huge distance that it is difficult to put it on a scale. The sun makes up 99.9% of all matter in our solar system. In fact, there are one million Earth planets inside the Sun.
Astronomers use the terms "solar radius" and "solar mass" to compare larger and smaller stars, and we'll do the same. The solar radius is 690,000 km, one solar mass is 2 x 10 30 kilograms. This is 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg.
One huge known star in our galaxy is Eta Carinae, located 7500 light-years from the Sun and weighing 120 solar masses. It is a million times brighter than the sun. Most stars lose their mass over time, much like the solar wind. But Eta Carina is so big that every year it throws off a mass equal to 500 Earth masses. With so much mass lost, it is very difficult for astronomers to accurately measure where a star ends and its stellar wind begins.
Thus, the best answer from astronomers now is that the radius of Eta Carina is 250 times the size of the Sun.
And one interesting note: This Carina should explode soon, it will be one of the most spectacular supernovas that people have ever seen.
But the most massive star in the universe is R136a1, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. There are disputes, but its mass may be more than 265 solar masses. And this is a mystery to astronomers, because theoretically the largest stars were considered to be about 150 solar masses, formed in the early universe when stars were formed from hydrogen and helium left over from the Big Bang. The answer to this controversy is that R136a1 may have been formed when several large stars merged together. Needless to say, R136a1 could explode into a hypernova any day now.
From the point of view of large stars, let's consider a familiar star located in the constellation of Orion - Betelgeuse. This red supergiant has a radius of 950 to 1200 times the size of the Sun, and would encompass the orbit of Jupiter if placed in our solar system.
But this is nothing. The largest known star is VY Canis Majoris. A red hypergiant in the constellation Canis Major, located about 5,000 light-years from Earth. Professor Robert Humphreys of the University of Minnesota recently calculated its upper size to be greater than 1,540 times the size of the Sun. If VY Canis Major were placed in our system, then its surface would extend beyond the orbit of Saturn.
It's the largest star we know of, but the Milky Way probably has dozens of stars that further obscure the gas and dust clouds so we can't see them.
But let's see if we can answer the original question, what is the largest star in the universe? Obviously, it's virtually impossible for us to find it, the universe is a very big place, and there's no way we could peer into every corner.
The gun is another star, which is considered one of the largest.
According to theorists, the largest stars will be cold supergiants. For example, the temperature of VY Canis Majoris is only 3500 K. A really big star would be even colder. A cold supergiant with a temperature of 3000 K would be 2,600 solar in size.
Finally, here's a great video showing the size of various objects in space, from our tiny planet to VV Cepheus. VY Canis Majoris is not included in the animation, probably because they had no new information on this star.
Living our lives on the satellite of a small star on the outskirts of the Universe, we cannot even imagine its true scope. The dimensions of the Sun seem incredible to us, and even the star is larger, it 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 more than a speck of dust.
| N | Star | Optimum | Grade 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 Constellation of the Altar, being the largest space object in it. It was discovered by an astronomer from Sweden, Västerlund, whose name it was named in 1961.
The mass of Westerland 1-26 exceeds the Sun by 35 times. With a brightness of 400,000. However, it is impossible to see the star with the naked eye due to its huge distance from our planet, which is 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 significantly decreased, and according to some estimates for 2009, it amounted to 1540 sizes of our star. Scientists suspect that strong stellar wind is to blame
UY Shield
In the Milky Way Constellation, and indeed in the entire universe known to mankind, it is the brightest and one of the largest stars. The removal of this red supergiant from Earth is 9,600 light years. The diameter changes quite actively (at least according to observations from the Earth), so we can talk about an average of 1708 solar diameters.
The star belongs to the category of red supergiants, its luminosity exceeds the solar one by 120,000 times. Cosmic dust and gas accumulated around, over the billions of years of the existence of a star, significantly reduce the luminosity of a star, so it is impossible to determine it more accurately.
Jupiter would be completely engulfed along with its orbit if the Sun had the dimensions of UY Scutum. Oddly enough, for all its greatness, the star is only 10 times more massive than our star.
The star belongs to the class of binary, 5000 light-years away from the Earth. About 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 its observations dates back to 1937. It was studied mainly by Russian astronomers. The conducted studies have revealed the periodicity of the dimming of the star once every 20 Earth years. It is considered one of the brightest stars in our galaxy. The mass of VV Cepheus A exceeds the solar mass by about 80-100 times.
The radius of the space object is 1535 times greater than the solar one, the mass is about 50. The brightness index RW of Cepheus is 650,000 times higher than that of the Sun. The surface temperature of a celestial object ranges from 3500 to 4200 K, depending on the intensity of thermonuclear reactions in the bowels of the star.
Super 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 (despite the fact that the mass of the star itself is 45 times greater than the mass of the Sun). The size of V766 Centauri is amazing, it is 1490 times larger than our Sun in diameter.
The yellow giant is located in a system of two stars, representing their part. 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 exceeding the solar one by 1,000,000 times.
According to some reports, 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 Major exceeds the mass of the Sun by 17 times. 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 it takes eight light years to fly around its equator.
The red giant is located in the constellation Canis Major. According to the latest scientific data, within the next 100 years, a star will explode, and it will turn into a supernova. The distance from our planet is approximately 4500 light years, which in itself eliminates any danger from the explosion to mankind.
The diameter of this star, which belongs to the category of red supergiants, is approximately 1411 solar diameters. Removal of AH Scorpio 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 luminary cause the changeability of the brightness of the star.
The mass of AH Scorpio is equal to 16 solar masses, the diameter exceeds the solar one by 1200 times. The maximum surface temperature is assumed to be 10,000 K, but this value is not fixed and can change both in one direction and in the other.
This star is also known as Herschel's Garnet Star after the astronomer who discovered it. It is located in the constellation of the same name Cepheus, it is triple, it is separated from the Earth at a distance of 5600 light years.
The main star of the system, MU Cepheus A, is a red supergiant whose radius, according to various estimates, exceeds the solar one by 1300-1650 times. The mass is 30 times greater than the Sun, the temperature at the surface is from 2000 to 2500 K. The luminosity of MU Cepheus 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 Cygnus is approximately from 916-1240 solar radii. The mass exceeds our star by 20 times, the luminosity is 25,000 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 the greatest bursts of thermonuclear activity, the surface temperature can reach 5500 K.
A supergiant discovered in 1872, which becomes a hypergiant during the 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 pulsation. It is located in the constellation Cepheus, 10,500 light years away. It is 45 times more massive than the Sun, the radius is 1500 times greater than the solar one, which in digital terms is approximately 1,100,000,000 kilometers.
If we conventionally place V354 Cephei in the center of the solar system, Saturn would be inside its surface.
This red giant is also a variable star. A semi-correct, fairly bright object is located at a distance of about 9600 light years from our planet.
The radius of the star is within 1190-1940 solar radii. The mass is 30 times more. 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.
Largest known star. At a temperature of 2300 K, its radius increases to 2775 solar, which is almost a third larger than any star known to us.
In the normal state, this indicator is 1183.
The space object is located in the constellation Cygnus, refers to red variable supergiants. The average distance from our planet, according to the calculations of astronomers, is from 4600 to 5800 light years. The estimate of the radius of a celestial object is from 856 to 1553 solar radii. Such a run-up of indicators is due to the different level 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 about 150,000 times higher than the sun.
This well-studied variable star supergiant is located in the Carina Nebula. The approximate distance of a space object from the Sun is 8500 light years.
Estimates of the radius of a red giant vary significantly, ranging from 1090 to the radius of our star. The mass is 16 times greater than the mass of the Sun, the value of 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, the 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, there is little information about it. It is only known that the radius of V396 Centauri exceeds the similar parameter of the Sun by about 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 Carina refers to the so-called "variable" stellar objects, located in the constellation Carina, at a distance of approximately 7500 light-years from our planet. Its radius exceeds the Sun by 1060 times. Astronomers have calculated that if this object were located in 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 the level of 3550 K.
The star is a red supergiant with a mass of 10 to 20 solar masses. Located in the constellation Sagittarius, the distance of a celestial body from our planet is 20,000 light years. The radius, according to the maximum estimates, is approximately 1460 solar.
The luminosity exceeds the solar one by 250,000 times. The temperature on the surface is from 3500 to 4000 K.
The science
Of course, the oceans are vast, and the mountains are incredibly high. What's more, the 7 billion people that the Earth is home to is also an incredibly large number. But, living in this world, with a diameter of 12,742 kilometers, it is easy to forget that this is, in essence, a trifle for such a thing as space. When we look into the night sky, we realize that we are just a grain of sand in a vast infinite universe. We invite you to learn about the largest objects in space, the size of some of them is difficult for us to imagine.
1) Jupiter
The largest planet in the solar system (142,984 kilometers in diameter)
Jupiter is the largest planet in our star system. Ancient astronomers named this planet after Jupiter, the father of the Roman gods. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. The planet's atmosphere is 84 percent hydrogen and 15 percent helium. Everything else is acetylene, ammonia, ethane, methane, phosphine and water vapor.
The mass of Jupiter is 318 times the mass of the Earth, and the diameter is 11 times greater. The mass of this giant is 70 percent of the mass of all the planets in the solar system. Jupiter's volume is large enough to contain 1,300 Earth-like planets. Jupiter has 63 known moons, but most of them are incredibly small and fuzzy.
2) Sun
The largest object in the solar system (1,391,980 kilometers in diameter)
Our Sun is a yellow dwarf star, the largest object in the star system in which we exist. The Sun contains 99.8 percent of the mass of this entire system, most of the rest of the mass is Jupiter. The Sun is currently 70 percent hydrogen and 28 percent helium, with the remaining matter accounting for just 2 percent of its mass.
Over time, the hydrogen in the Sun's core turns into helium. Conditions in the Sun's core, which is 25 percent of its diameter, are extreme. The temperature is 15.6 million Kelvin and the pressure is 250 billion atmospheres. The energy of the Sun is achieved through nuclear fusion reactions. Every second, approximately 700,000,000 tons of hydrogen are converted into 695,000,000 tons of helium and 5,000,000 tons of energy in the form of gamma rays.
3) Our solar system
15*10 12 kilometers in diameter
Our solar system includes just one star, which is the central object, and nine major planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, as well as many satellites, millions of solid asteroids and billions of icy comets.
4) Star VY Canis Major
The largest star in the universe (3 billion kilometers in diameter)
VY Canis Majoris is the largest known star and one of the brightest stars in the sky. It is a red hypergiant located in the constellation Canis Major. The radius of this star is about 1800-2200 times greater than the radius of our Sun, its diameter is about 3 billion kilometers.
If this star were placed in our solar system, it would close the orbit of Saturn. Some astronomers believe that VY is actually smaller—about 600 times the size of the Sun—and therefore would only reach the orbit of Mars.
5) Huge deposits of water
Astronomers have discovered the largest and most massive reservoir of water ever found in the universe. The giant cloud, about 12 billion years old, contains 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined.
A cloud of gaseous water surrounds a supermassive black hole located 12 billion light-years from Earth. This discovery shows that water has dominated the universe for almost its entire existence, the researchers said.
6) Extremely large and massive black holes
21 billion solar masses
Supermassive black holes are the largest black holes in the galaxy, weighing hundreds or even thousands of millions of solar masses. Most, if not all, galaxies, including the Milky Way, are believed to contain supermassive black holes at their centers.
One such monster, 21 million times the mass of the Sun, is an egg-shaped funnel of stars in NGC 4889, the brightest galaxy in the stretched cloud of thousands of galaxies. The hole is located about 336 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. This black hole is so huge that it is 12 times larger than our solar system in diameter.
7) Milky Way
100-120 thousand light years in diameter
The Milky Way is a broken spiral galaxy that contains 200-400 billion stars. There are many planets revolving around each of these stars.
According to some estimates, 10 billion planets are in the habitable zone, revolving around their parent stars, that is, in zones where there are all conditions for the origin of life like Earth.
8) El Gordo
The largest cluster of galaxies (2 * 10 15 solar masses)
El Gordo is located more than 7 billion light-years from Earth, so what we are seeing today is just an early stage of it. According to the researchers who have studied this galaxy cluster, it is the largest, hottest and emits the most radiation than any other known cluster at the same distance or further.
The central galaxy at the center of El Gordo is incredibly bright and has an unusual blue glow. The authors of the studies suggest that this extreme galaxy is the result of a collision and merger of two galaxies.
Using the Spitzer Space Telescope and optical imaging, scientists estimate that 1 percent of the cluster's total mass is stars, and the rest is hot gas that fills the space between the stars. This ratio of stars to gas is similar to the ratio in other massive clusters.
9) Our Universe
Size - 156 billion light years
Of course, no one could ever name the exact dimensions of the Universe, but, according to some estimates, its diameter is 1.5 * 10 24 kilometers. In general, it is difficult for us to imagine that there is an end somewhere, because the Universe includes incredibly gigantic objects:
Earth Diameter: 1.27*104km
Sun diameter: 1.39*106 km
Solar system: 2.99 * 10 10 km or 0.0032 sv. l.
Distance from the Sun to the nearest star: 4.5 sv. l.
Milky Way: 1.51*10 18 km or 160,000 sv. l.
Local group of galaxies: 3.1 * 10 19 km or 6.5 million sv. l.
Local supercluster: 1.2 * 10 21 km or 130 million sv. l.
10) Multiverse
One can try to imagine not one, but many Universes that exist at the same time. The Multiverse (or Multiple Universe) is a feasible collection of many possible Universes, including our own, which collectively encapsulate everything that exists or can exist: the integrity of space, time, material matter and energy, and the physical laws and constants that govern it all. describe.
However, the existence of other Universes besides ours has not been proven, so it is very likely that our Universe is the only one of its kind.
The closest star to the Earth, which we call the Sun, is far from the largest. Despite the fact that at the moment humanity has been able to explore only a small part of the Universe, exactly as many stars and other space objects as modern equipment allows us to record and study, it is already known for certain that there are much larger luminaries, in comparison with which the Sun looks like space speck of dust. The ten largest stars are known to every person interested in astronomy.
Despite their remoteness, for the most part they are perfectly visible in the night sky, because a powerful stream of light from them is able to overcome great distances. So, what are they - the largest stars of the universe known to man?
Super giant of the constellation Scorpio Antares
Starting a 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 accurate data is not yet available. The distance of this object from the Earth is approximately 12 thousand sv. years. The object is visible in the sky with the naked eye.
Bright star in the constellation Cygnus
KY Cygnus is also the largest star known to modern mankind in terms of size. The distance from this object to the Earth is approximately 5 thousand light years. The star has its own oddities - its mass exceeds the solar mass only 25 times, and its equatorial radius is 1420 solar. This object emits a million times more light than the Sun, which also makes it very visible on the horizon.
Stars are large celestial bodies of hot plasma, the dimensions of which can amaze the most inquisitive reader. Ready to evolve?
It should be noted right away that the rating was compiled taking into account those giants that are already known to mankind. It is possible that somewhere in outer space there are stars of even larger dimensions, but it is located at a distance of many light years, and modern equipment is simply not enough to detect and analyze them. It is also worth adding that the largest stars will eventually cease to be such, because they belong to the class of variables. Well, do not forget about the probable errors of astrologers. So...
Top 10 biggest stars in the universe
10
Opens the rating of the largest stars in the Betelgeuse Galaxy, the size of which exceeds 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 at a relatively short distance from our planet. The red-colored giant in the next few hundred years can turn into a supernova. In this case, its dimensions will increase significantly. For justified reasons, the star Betelgeuse, ranking last in this ranking, is the most interesting!
RW
An amazing star, attracting with an unusual glow color. 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. Regarding the history of the emergence and distance of RW, leading astrologers from different countries have been arguing for many years. Everything is due to the fact that in the constellation it regularly changes. Over time, it may disappear altogether. But it is still in the top of the largest celestial bodies.
Next in the ranking of the largest known stars is KW Sagittarius. According to ancient Greek legend, she appeared after the death of Perseus and Andromeda. This suggests that it was possible to detect this constellation long before our appearance. But unlike our ancestors, we know about more reliable data. It is known that the size of the stars exceeds the Sun by 1470 times. However, it is relatively close to our planet. KW is a bright star that changes its temperature over time.
At present, it is known for certain that the size of this large star exceeds the size of the Sun by at least 1430 times, but it is difficult to get an accurate result, because it is located 5 thousand light years from the planet. Even 13 years ago, American scientists cite completely different data. At that time, it was believed that KY Cygnus had a radius that raised the Sun by 2850 times. Now we have more reliable dimensions relative to this celestial body, which, for sure, are 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, the size of which exceeds the Sun by 1530 times. At the same time, the celestial body is relatively close to our planet, only 9 thousand light years away. It does not differ in special brightness and temperature against the background of other unique stars. However, it belongs to the number of variable luminaries, therefore, the dimensions may vary. It is likely that Cepheus will not last long at this position in the V354 rating. It will most likely decrease in size over time.
A few years ago, it was believed that this red giant could become a competitor for VY Canis Major. Moreover, some experts conditionally considered WHO G64 the largest known star in our Universe. Today, in an age of rapid development of technology, astrologers have managed to obtain more reliable data. It is now known that the radius of the Dorado is only 1550 times the size of the Sun. That's how huge errors are allowed in the field of astronomy. However, the incident is easily explained by distance. The star is outside the Milky Way. Namely, in a dwarf galaxy called the Huge Magellanic Cloud.
V838
One of the most unusual stars in the universe, located in the constellation of the Unicorn. It is located approximately 20 thousand light years from our planet. Even the fact that our specialists managed to find it is surprising. Luminary V838 is even larger than that of Mu Cephei. It is quite difficult to make accurate calculations regarding the dimensions, due to the huge distance from the Earth. Speaking of approximate size data, they range from 1170 to 1900 solar radii.
There are many amazing stars in the constellation Cepheus, and Mu Cephei is considered a confirmation of this. One of the largest stars exceeds the size of the Sun by 1660 times. The supergiant is considered one of the brightest in the Milky Way. Approximately 37,000 times more powerful than the illumination of the star most known to us, that is, the Sun. Unfortunately, we cannot say unequivocally at what distance from our planet Mu Cephei is located.
