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UY Scuti - the largest star in the universe: description and characteristics of a star with a photo, location in the constellation, distance from the Earth, a list of the largest stars.

When looking at the night sky, it's easy to feel tiny. You just need to select an object for comparison. How about a star? Just look into the territory of the Scutum constellation and you will find the largest star in our galaxy and the visible Universe - UY Scutum.

In 1860, the star was found by German scientists at the Bonn Observatory. But only in 2012 was it possible to conduct a survey with the Very Large Telescope (Atacama Desert). Since its discovery, it is the largest star in terms of size, surpassing Betelgeuse, VY Canis Major and NML Cygnus.

Of course, there are record holders for brightness and density, but UY Scutum has the largest overall size at a radius of 1,054,378,000 to 1,321,450,000 miles, which is 1,700 times the sun.

People think that the Earth is huge. But let's take an 8-inch ball. The scale of the Sun would then be 73 feet in diameter, which is more than the height of the White House. Now let's put UY of the Shield next to it and we get a diameter of 125,000 feet.

What happens if you put UY Shield on a sunny position? The star will dine on the first five planets and exit Jupiter's orbital path. But many people think that it can even cross the line of Saturn's orbit.

Well, let's be glad that the star is still not located in the solar system and is 9500 light years distant.

It is important to emphasize that with the improvement of terrestrial instruments, we are discovering new objects that are distant over long distances. Which means we might one day bump into an even bigger star.

It is worth noting that the largest known stars are represented here, as there are still many objects out of sight. Also, some of the named ones act as variables, which means that they are constantly compressed and expanded. Now you know what is the largest star in space. Let's take a look at the rest of the top ten the largest stars in the universe:

List of the largest stars in the universe

The radius of the red supergiant VY Canis Majoris reaches 1800-2100 solar, which makes it the largest in the galaxy. If put in place, it would cover the orbital path. It is 3900 light-years away in the constellation Canis Major.

It is a red supergiant, 1000 times the solar radius. Located 6000 light years away. Represented by a binary system, where the main star is accompanied by a small blue one.

Mu Cephei

Mu Cephei is a red supergiant with a radius 1,650 times that of the sun and 38,000 times brighter.

V 838 Monocerotis is a red variable star, 20,000 light years distant. It can reach the size of Mu Cepheus or VV Cepheus A, but a large distance makes it difficult to determine exactly. The range covers 380-1970 solar radii.

A red supergiant that is 1540 times the solar radius. It is located in the constellation Dorado.

V354 Cephei

A red supergiant that exceeds the solar radius by 1520 times. It is 9000 light years away in the constellation Cepheus.

KY Swan

1420 times the solar radius, although some estimates put forward a figure of 2850 times. The star is 5000 light years away and has not yet been able to get a clear image.

KW Sagittarius

The red supergiant is 1460 times larger in radius than the Sun. Located at 7800 light years.

RW Cephei

Red supergiant with a radius of 1600 solar. From the position of the Sun, it could reach the orbital path of Jupiter.

A red supergiant whose radius is 1000 times that of the sun. This is the most popular star, as it is located quite close (640 light years) to. At any moment it can transform into a supernova.

An illustration of R136a1, the most massive star known to date. Credit & Copyright: Sephirohq / Wikipedia.

Look at the night sky - it is filled with stars. However, only a microscopic part of them is visible to the naked eye. In fact, scientists estimate that there are 10,000 billion galaxies in the visible universe, each with more than a hundred billion stars. And this is neither more nor less than 10 24 stars. These spectacular thermal stations come in a variety of colors and sizes – and many of them make our Sun look tiny. However, which star is a true cosmic giant? First, we need to define the concept of a giant star: should it have the largest radius or the largest mass?

To date, the star with the largest radius is recognized as the star UY Shield (Scuti) - a variable red supergiant in the constellation of the Shield. It is more than 9,500 light-years away from us, and consists mostly of hydrogen and helium, as well as a number of other heavier elements. In terms of chemical composition, UY Scutum resembles our Sun, but has a radius 1708 (± 192) times greater than that of our star. That is almost 1,200,000,000 km, making its circumference more than 7.5 billion kilometers. To make it easier to understand such dimensions, one can imagine an aircraft that would take 950 years to fly around UY Scutum - and even if the aircraft could travel at the speed of light, its journey would last 6 hours and 55 minutes.

If we place UY Scutum in place of our Sun, then its surface will pass somewhere between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn - it goes without saying that the Earth in this case will be swallowed up. Given the huge size and mass of 20 to 40 solar masses, one can calculate that the density of the UY Shield is only 7×10 -6 kg/m 3 . In other words, it is more than a billion times less than the density of water. Indeed, if we were able to put this star in a pool, then theoretically it would float. Being over a million times less dense than Earth's atmosphere, UY Shield would float like a balloon in the air.

But if these crazy facts didn't surprise you, then let's move on to the heaviest star. The heavyweight star R136a1 is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, approximately 165,000 light-years away. This star is only 35 times the size of our Sun, yet it is 265 times as massive as our Sun - which is really amazing given the fact that it has already lost 55 solar masses in its 1.6 million years of life.

R136a1 is a highly unstable Wolf-Rayet star. It appears as a blue ball with an indistinct surface, which constantly generates extremely powerful stellar winds. These winds move at speeds up to 2600 km/s. Due to such high activity, R136a1 loses 3.21×10 18 kg/s of its mass, which is about one Earth every 22 days. Stars of this type shine brightly and die quickly. R136a1 radiates nine million times more energy than our Sun. Its brightness is 94,000 times the brightness of the Sun. In fact, it is the brightest star ever found. The temperature on its surface is more than 53,000 Kelvin, and it has only two million years left to live, after which it will explode as a supernova.

Of course, against such giants, our Sun seems like a dwarf, but over time it will also increase in size. In about seven and a half billion years, it will reach its largest size and become a red giant.

People tend to look at the sky, watching millions and millions of stars. We dream of distant worlds and draw images of our brothers in mind. Each world illuminates its own "sun". Research equipment looks deep into space at 9 billion light years.

But even this is not enough to say with accuracy how many stars are in space. At the current stage of the study, about 50 billion are known. This number is steadily growing, as there is constant research, technology is being improved. People learn about new giants and dwarfs in the world of space objects. Which of the stars is the largest in the universe?

Sun Dimensions

Thinking about the dimensions of the stars, understand what to compare with, feel the scale. The size of our Sun is impressive. Its diameter is 1.4 million km. This huge number is hard to imagine. The fact that the mass of the Sun is 99.9% of the mass of all objects in the solar system will help in this. Theoretically, a million planets could fit inside our star.

Using these numbers, astronomers have coined the terms "solar radius" and "solar mass" that are used to compare the sizes and masses of space objects. The radius of the Sun is 690,000 km, and the weight is 2 billion kilograms. Compared to other stars, the Sun is a relatively small cosmic object.

Former All-Star Champion

The stellar mass is constantly "thinning" because of the "stellar wind". Thermonuclear processes, continuously shaking the universal luminaries, lead to the loss of hydrogen - "fuel" for reactions. Accordingly, the mass also decreases. Therefore, it is difficult for scientists to give exact figures regarding the parameters of such large and hot objects. The luminaries age and, after a supernova explosion, turn into a neutron star or a black hole.

For decades, VY was recognized as the largest star in the constellation Canis Major. Not so long ago, the parameters were specified, and scientists' calculations showed that its radius is 1300-1540 solar radii. The diameter of the giant is 2 billion kilometers, and it is located 5,000 light-years from Earth.

To imagine the dimensions of this object, imagine that it will take 1200 years to fly around it, moving at a speed of 800 km / h. If you suddenly imagine that the Earth was compressed to 1 cm and VY was also reduced, then the giant will be 2.2 km in size.

But the mass of the star is small and exceeds the mass of the Sun only 40 times. This is due to the low density of the substance. The brightness of the light is truly amazing. It emits light 500,000 times brighter than ours. VY was first mentioned in 1801. It was described by the scientist Joseph Jérôme de Lalande. The record says that the luminary belongs to the seventh grade.

Since 1850, observations have shown a gradual loss of brightness. The outer edge of VY began to increase because the forces of gravity no longer hold the mass at a constant level. Soon (by cosmic standards) a supernova explosion of this star is possible. Scientists say it could happen tomorrow or in a million years. Science does not have exact numbers.

Reigning Star Champion

Space exploration continues. In 2010, scientists led by Paul Crowther saw an impressive space object using the Hubble telescope. Exploring the Large Magellanic Cloud, astronomers discovered a new star and gave it the name R136a1. From us to R136a1, the distance is 163,000 light years.

The parameters shocked the scientists. The mass of the giant exceeds the mass of the Sun by 315 times, despite the fact that it was previously stated that there are no stars in space that exceed our Sun in mass by 150 times. Such a phenomenon occurred, according to the hypothesis of scientists, due to the connection of several objects. The brightness of the glow of R136a1 exceeds the brightness of the radiation of our sun by 10 million times.

During the period from discovery to our time, the star has lost one-fifth of its mass, but it is still considered a record holder even among its neighbors. They were also discovered by Crowther's group. These objects also exceeded the milestone of 150 solar masses.

Scientists have calculated that if R136a1 is placed in the solar system, then the brightness of the glow compared to our luminary will be the same as if the brightness of the Sun and the Moon were compared.

This is the largest star known to mankind so far. Surely in the Milky Way galaxy there are dozens, if not hundreds, of larger luminaries, closed from our eyes by gas and dust clouds.

VV Cephei 2. At 2400 light years, VV Cepheus 2 is located, which exceeds the size of the Sun by 1600-1900 times. The radius is 1050 radii of our Sun. In terms of light emission, the star exceeds the landmark from 275 to 575 thousand times. This is a variable pulsar, pulsing with an interval of 150 days. The speed of the cosmic wind directed away from the sun is 25 km/sec.

Studies have proven that VV Cephei 2 is a double star. The eclipse of the second star B occurs regularly every 20 years. VV Cephei B revolves around the main star VV Cephei 2. It is blue and has a rotation period of 20 years. The eclipse lasts 3.6 years. The object surpasses the Sun in mass by 10 times, and by the intensity of the glow - by 100,000 times.

Mu Cephei. Cepheus flaunts a red supergiant, larger than the Sun by 1650 times. Mu Cephei is the brightest star in the Milky Way. The brightness of the glow is 38,000 times higher than the guideline. It is also known as the "garnet star of Herschel". Studying the star in the 1780s, the scientist called it "a delightfully beautiful garnet-colored object."

In the sky of the northern hemisphere, it is observed without a telescope from August to January, it resembles a drop of blood in the sky. After two or three million years, a giant supernova explosion is expected, which will turn the star into a black hole or a pulsar and a gas and dust cloud.

At 20,000 light-years from Earth, the red giant V838 shines in the constellation Monoceros. This cluster of stars, previously unknown to anyone, "became famous" in 2002. At this time, an explosion occurred there, which astronomers first perceived as a supernova explosion. But due to its young age, the star did not approach the cosmic "death".

For a long time they could not even guess what the cause of the cataclysm was. Hypotheses have now been put forward that the object has swallowed up a "companion star" or objects orbiting around it.

The object is credited with dimensions from 1170 to 1970 solar radii. Due to the gigantic distance, scientists do not give exact numbers for the mass of the red variable star.

Until recently, scientists believed that the parameters of WHO 64 are comparable to R136a1 from the constellation Canis Major.

But it was found that the size of this luminary is only 1540 times larger than the sun. It shines from the Large Magellanic Cloud.

V354 Cephei. The red supergiant V354 Cephei, 9,000 light-years from Earth, is invisible without a telescope.

It is located in the Milky Way galaxy. The temperature on the shell is 3650 degrees Kelvin, the radius is 1520 times greater than the solar one and is determined at 1.06 billion km.

KY Swan. It would take 5,000 light years to fly to KY Cygnus. This time is hard to imagine. Such figures mean that a beam of light flies at hyperluminal speed from a star to the Earth for 5000 years.

If we compare the radius of the object and the Sun, then it will be 1420 solar radii. The mass of the star is only 25 times the mass of the landmark. But KY will quite compete for the title of the brightest star in the part of the Universe open to us. Its luminosity outstrips the solar millions of times.

KW Sagittarius. 10,000 irresistible light years separate us from the KW star in Sagittarius.

It is a red supergiant with a size of 1460 solar radii and a luminosity 360,000 times higher than that of our Sun.

The constellation is visible in the sky of the southern hemisphere. It is easy to find on the surface of the Milky Way. The star cluster was first described by Ptolemy in the second century.

RW Cephei. The dimensions of RW Cepheus are still being debated. Some scientists claim that the dimensions are equal to 1260 radii of the landmark, others are inclined to believe that they are 1650 solar radii. It is the largest variable star.

If it is moved to the place of the Sun in our system, then the supergiant photosphere will be between the trajectories of Saturn and Jupiter. The star is rapidly flying towards the solar system at a speed of 56 km/sec. The end of the star will turn it into a supernova, or the core will collapse into a black hole.

Betelgeuse. The red giant Betelgeuse lies 640 light-years away in Orion. The size of Betelgeuse is 1100 solar radii. Astronomers are confident that in the near future there will be a period of rebirth of a star into a black hole or supernova. Humanity will see this universal show from the "front row".

As we eagerly gaze up into the sky with all our instruments and explore it with robotic spacecraft and human crewed missions, we are bound to make amazing new discoveries that will take us even further into space.

We are constantly studying new objects among the trillions of celestial bodies. We will discover more than one new star, which will outshine the already known ones in size. But alas, we will never know about the true scale of 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, the stars merge into luminous streams.

This is because there is an incredibly huge 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 space at 9 billion light years) is not enough.

Now there are about 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, however, not a small one either. She has 1,391,000 kilometers in diameter. There are more significant stars in the Universe, they are called hypergiants. For 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 refined - 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 it is, one revolution around the hypergiant star will take 1200 years, and then if you fly at a speed of 800 kilometers per hour. Or, if we 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 so impressive. VY is only 40 times heavier than the Sun. This happened because the density of gases inside it is incredibly low. Well, the brightness of the star can only be admired. 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 is dated March 7, 1801. Scientists pointed out that VY is a star of the seventh magnitude.

But in 1847, information appeared that VY had a crimson hue. In the nineteenth century, researchers discovered that the star has at least six discrete components, so it is likely a multiple star. But now it turned out that the discrete components are nothing more than bright patches of the nebula that surrounds the hypergiant. In 1957, visual observations and high-quality images from 1998 showed that VY was missing a companion star.

However, by our time, the largest star in the universe has already managed to lose 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 most likely explode in a supernova and turn into a neutron star or a black hole. According to observations, the star has been losing its brightness since 1850.

Lost leadership

However, scientists do not leave the study of the Universe for a minute. Therefore, this record was broken. Astronomers have found an even bigger 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.

The researchers studied the Large Magellanic Cloud and found the star R136a1. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope helped make an incredible discovery.

The giant in its mass is 256 times larger than our Sun. But in terms of brightness, R136a1 exceeds the celestial body by ten million times. Such fantastic figures were a revelation for scientists, because it was believed that stars that exceed the mass of the Sun by more than 150 times do not exist.

And continuing to explore the clusters of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, experts have found several more stars that have exceeded this milestone. 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, if such a star is presented 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 in the visible sky are the stars Rigel and Deneb from the constellations Orion and Cygnus, respectively. Each shines brighter than the Sun 55 thousand times and 72.5 thousand times. These luminaries are removed from us by 1600 and 820 light years.

Another bright star from the constellation Orion is the star Betelgeuse. It is the third largest luminosity. It is brighter than sunlight by the strength of light emission by 22 thousand times. By the way, most of the brightest 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 brighter than our Sun only 23.5 times. And the distance to this star is 8.6 light years. In the same constellation there is another bright star - Adara. This star shines like 8700 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. The North Star 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 a supergiant density and a rather small spherical magnitude. 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

Big luminosity, scientists say, have blue stars. The brightest known is UW CMa. It is 860 thousand times brighter than our heavenly body. But this figure is rapidly falling, as the brightness of the 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 fade and after a while it disappeared altogether. And in the place where she shone, a nebula formed, which looked like a crab. Hence the name Crab Nebula. It appeared after a supernova explosion. By the way, modern scientists have found a powerful source of radio emission in the center of this nebula, in other words, a pulsar. This is the remnant of that bright supernova, which was described in the old chronicle.
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