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| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 |
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|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Right ascension | 07h 22m 58.29s |
| Declination | −25° 46′ 03.5″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.527 |
VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) is a red hypergiant star located in the constellation Canis Major. It is the largest known star and also one of the most luminous known. It is located about 1.5 kiloparsecs (4,900 ly) away from Earth.
Size
University of Minnesota professor Roberta M. Humphreys1 estimates the radius of VY CMa at 1800 to 2100 solar radii.2 To illustrate, if our Sun were replaced with VY Canis Majoris, its surface would extend to the orbit of Saturn. Assuming the upper size limit of 2100 solar radii, light would take more than 8 hours to travel around the star's circumference, as opposed to 14.5 seconds for the sun.
See also
- Orders of magnitude (length)
- List of largest stars
- List of most luminous stars
- TrES-4, the largest known planet
References
- ^ Roberta Humphreys, Professor (Astronomy), University of Minnesota School of Physics and Astronomy
- ^ VY Canis Majoris: The Astrophysical Basis of Its Luminosity arXiv, 2006-10-13 Retrieved on 05-15-07
Further reading
- Kastner, Joel H.; Weintraub, David A. (1998). "Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Mass-losing Supergiant VY Canis Majoris". Astronomical Journal 115 (4): 1592–1598. doi:.
External links
- Astronomers Map a Hypergiant Star's Massive Outbursts, HubbleSite NewsCenter, 2007-01-08
- Helton, L. Andrew. Research Topics - VY Canis Majoris, University of Minnesota
- "What is the Biggest Star in the Universe?", Universe Today, 2008-04-06
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