How many more secrets and phenomena that cannot be explained scientifically are kept in our Universe. But science is moving forward, after all, some 100 years ago, most people on Earth did not believe that Mankind would be able to fly into space, and today it is an unusual, but already familiar phenomenon.
The evolution of stars is such that every day they change in size. Some of them are constantly growing (like our Sun), some for various reasons lose their mass, someone explodes in a supernova or forms a black hole.
The universe is limitless, therefore it is not possible to reliably find out which star is the largest. But of all the stars that are known to modern science, we find out in a short review which is the largest star in the universe.
The brightest star in the sky
Sirius
Radius: 1.7 🌞
The bright and rather large star that is closest to us is Sirius, which harmoniously blended into the constellation Canis Major.
The brightest in the sky that we observe, she just imagine, 22 times brighter than our Sun. But this, of course, is not a record. Its high brightness is explained by its proximity to us. In space there are many stars and more and brighter.
Even in ancient Egypt, people drew attention to this constellation and the brightest star in its plexus, and worshiped the dog as a sacred animal.
But in Assyria and Babylon, the Great Dog was associated with a snake, so that the big dog came out of older religious beliefs.
Later it turned out that Sirius is a double star. The discovery was a triumph in 19th-century astronomy.
This binary star is 8.67 light years distant from us and approaches us at a speed of 6.7 km / s.
The biggest stars of the universe
For convenience, all star radii are indicated in solar radii.
This keel
Let's start with our galaxy. The largest in it is a double star in the constellation Kiel. Being very far from us (7,500 St. years), it shines 5 million times brighter than our Sun.
For the first time, the star, and presumably, it was Eta Kiel, was described by the Dutch navigator Peter Keyser at the end of the 16th century. In the second half of the twentieth century, it was possible to get her photo, which allowed to reveal an increase in its brightness.
In the general list of the largest stars in the universe, that way Kiel closes the second ten.
Surprisingly, even 30 years ago this star was impossible to examine with the naked eye, but at the turn of the 80-90s of the XX century, its brightness increased significantly.
IRC + 10420
Radius: 357 - 1342 🌞
Weight: ≈10🌞
This little-studied star, located at a distance above 13 thousand light-years from us in the constellation Eagle. It is very difficult to classify it, because the density of stellar matter is very low, and the star itself is shrouded in dense fog from matter carried away from the star by the stellar wind. The mass of fog is estimated to be about 30-40 solar.
Currently, the star is considered a yellow supergiant.
VV Cepheus A
Radius: 1050 - 1900 🌞
Weight: 25-100🌞
The double star VV Cephei, which is located in the constellation of the same name, is distant from us at a considerable distance equal to 5000 sv. years, and in size many times greater than the Sun. In size, it takes an honorable second place in the Milky Way Galaxy.
They began to observe it in 1936, and established that its eclipses occur with a cycle of 20 years. It is not only large, but also the brightest in our Galaxy.
According to various estimates, the mass of a star is from 20 to 100 solar.
AH Scorpio
Radius: 1287 - 1535 🌞
Red super giant in the amazing constellation Scorpio in diameter equal to ≈1412 solar. AH Scorpio removed from us at 7400 St. years old.
AH Scorpii is surrounded by a dust shell, which can be seen in the photo with high resolution. This is a variable star, the brightness of which varies depending on the physical processes occurring on it.
The constellation got its formidable and original name from the great similarity of the location of the stars on the desert inhabitant - Scorpio.
VY Canis Major
Radius: 1420 ± 120 🌞
Weight: 17 🌞
This is another hypergiant, the mass of which is many times greater than the solar one, and equal to 17 masses of the luminary of our system.
The first records of the big star appeared at the very beginning of the XIX century, and subsequent studies filled all the characteristics in the catalogs. It is so large that it will fly around at the speed of light for 8 hours.
But the constellation Big Dog is known long before the start of modern research.
According to scientists, in the next 100 years, the star will explode in a destructive supernova explosion. But due to the large distance (3900 light years), the Earth does not face any danger from such an explosion.
KY Swan
Radius: ≈1420 🌞
Weight: 25 🌞
This hypergiant is removed from us at a distance of just over 5 thousand St. years old. The name is not difficult to guess that the star is in the constellation Cygnus.
Its mass exceeds solar by 25 times, and luminosity from 270 thousand to 1.1 million times higher than solar.
V766 Centauri
Radius: 1490 ± 540 🌞
Weight: 39 🌞
This yellow hypergiant, located in 11.7 thousand St. years from us, with a mass equal to about 39 solar has incredible dimensions. It is inflated to sizes exceeding our Sun by 1490 times.
In addition, it is part of a two-star system. The second star of the system is located so close to V766 that it is in contact with its outer shells.
The luminosity of the V766 is a million times higher than the solar!
VX Sagittarius
Radius: 1350–1940 🌞
Weight: 12 🌞
VX Sagittarius is located in the constellation Sagittarius at a distance of just over 5000 sv. years from Earth. The mass of this red supergiant is 12 times the mass of our luminary, although the radius is much greater than the Sun. Let's imagine if we reduce the Sagittarius VX to the size of our Sun and reduce the Sun by the same amount, then it would be 10 times smaller than our Earth.
Westland 1-26
Radius: ≈1530 🌞
The largest star in a large star cluster of the altar constellation is Westerland 1-26. It was discovered in 1961 by the Swedish astronomer Westelund, and under the name of the discoverer entered the directories.
The radius of the star is much larger than the radius of the Sun, and if we assume that Westland was the star of our system, then its photosphere would absorb the orbit of Jupiter.
Surprisingly, this star is 380 thousand times brighter than our Sun, but due to the large distance of 11.5 thousand light years, it is not visible to the naked eye.
RW Cepheus
Radius: ≈1535 🌞
Weight: 40 🌞
This large beauty, woven into the constellation Cepheus, can not be seen with the naked eye, so her magnitude is only +6.52. But, armed with just binoculars with high magnification, you can easily find it in the starry sky.
Scientists suggest that a star approaching the solar system at a speed of 56 kilometers per second will soon become a hypernova, as a result of the collapse of its core, which will lead to an explosion.
This star, like the previous one, is 11,500 light-years distant from us.
Woh g64
Radius: 1540 to 2000 🌞
Weight: 16-22 🌞
Known for science today, a bright star harmoniously blended into the constellation Golden Fish. It is located in the Galaxy Big Magellanic Cloud. By spectral characteristics, it is a red supergiant of class M 7.5.
Tens of thousands of years will pass, and the WOH G64 will become a supernova, but for now we can observe its dimensions and a photo taken by a powerful telescope.
NML Swan
Radius: 1183 to 2770 🌞
Weight: 50 🌞
One of the largest stars in the universe is located in the constellation Cygnus, and almost 5,000 St. years old.
While the Swan NML is fifty times the mass of the Sun, its luminosity is 1 million times higher than the main star of our system. In the starry sky, this star can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere only with a powerful telescope.
UY Shield
Radius: 1708 ± 192 🌞
Weight: 7-10 🌞
Today it is the largest and brightest star in the Milky Way constellation, and in the entire Universe known to us. The red hypergiant is 9,500 light-years distant from the solar system. The diameter of a star equals, just imagine, 1,700 diameters of our Sun, although it is constantly changing and at times can reach 2,000 diameters of the Sun.
According to its characteristics, it is a red hypergiant whose luminosity is 120 thousand times higher than that of the Sun. Some spectrum is damped due to the fact that around the star there are large accumulations of cosmic dust and gases.
If our Sun had such dimensions, then its radius would be greater than the orbit of Jupiter.
Surprisingly, its mass is no more than ten times the mass of the sun.
The most massive stars in the world
You probably noticed that the stars of huge sizes can have a mass an order of magnitude larger than the sun. But, nevertheless, these are not the most massive stars. There are also heavier luminous objects whose dimensions are significantly inferior to the sizes of the giants described above.
Now you will see a list of the most massive stars known to man. We will write their mass in solar masses, but we must understand that stars are very distant objects with different features. Scientists can not always accurately determine their mass, because this is done on the basis of many factors, such as orbit, brightness, remoteness, etc.
HD 269810
Weight: 130 🌞
Radius: 20 🌞
Like several other stars on this list, this star shines brightly in a neighboring galaxy called the Big Magellanic Cloud. Recently, the scientific world demoted this space object, counting its mass. It used to be that it was 150 times superior to our native luminary in mass. Now this figure is 130, which still makes it one of the most massive of all the known stars.
According to various sources, the luminosity of HD 269810 exceeds the solar luminosity from 2.2 to 6.3 million times.
VFTS 682
Weight: 150 🌞
Radius: 22 🌞
This star is an interesting class of astronomical objects called Wolf - Rayet. It is located at a distance of 164 thousand St. years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
The brightness of the VFTS 682 exceeds the solar a little more than 3 million times, and the mass is 150 times.
An interesting fact: the temperature on the surface of the VFTS 682 is about 55 thousand degrees Kelvin. For comparison, our native luminary has a temperature of about 5800ºK.
Another interesting point is that the star travels alone. It is moving away from the Tarantula Nebula and is now 100 light-years apart. Probably, as a result of some powerful gravitational interaction, the star was thrown out of the nebula where it originated.
The age of a star is estimated at 1-1.4 million. By stellar standards - this is an instant, but on the other hand, such stars live a little, only a few million years. Now it’s hard to say what will happen to VFTS 682 in 1-2 million years, maybe it will erupt in a supernova, or maybe collapse into a black hole.
Wr 102ka
Weight: 175 🌞
Radius: 92 🌞
This young star is another one belonging to the Wolf star class - Rayet. It is 26 thousand light-years distant from us. Her age is only about 3 million years - quite a bit by cosmic standards. We can say that the star is the same age as mankind. But at such a young age, it already emits light, which is 3.2 million times brighter than our Sun. Thus, it is not only one of the most massive stars, but also one of the brightest.
R136a2
Weight: 195 🌞
Radius: 23.4 🌞
This young Wolf-Raye star, whose age is only 300 thousand years old, is located in an amazing cluster of R136 stars in the Big Magellanic Cloud galaxy. This cluster gave the Universe many of the largest stars, three of which were included in our TOP-7 of all known massive stars.
It rotates at a speed of 200 km. per second, which most likely makes it flattened from the poles and elongated in the equator.
The solar wind actively blows off matter from R136a2. It is assumed that at the time of birth, the mass of the star was equal to about 250 solar.
This keel a
Weight: 195 🌞
Let's go back to the star with which we started this article. This is one of the system of two stars This Kiel. Its mass is from 150 to 250 solar, so today it is in the honorable third place in our rating.
R136c
Weight: 230 🌞
Radius: 18.4 🌞
The star of Wolf - Rayet is 1.7 million years old, which is also located in the R136 cluster.
Currently, R136c is actively studied by astronomers. There are some assumptions that the star is double. Its luminosity is almost 6 million times higher than solar.
R136a1
Weight: 315 🌞
Radius: 28.8 🌞
The age of this Wolf-Rayet star is estimated at 1.7 million. And she, too, is in the compact star cluster R136.
The nature of all supermassive stars is not completely clear. Whether they are born like this or formed by the absorption of other objects remains a mystery. In addition, the evolution of these stars is interesting. Usually they form neutron stars or black holes after themselves.
Finally
So we found out which star is the largest in the universe. Since ancient times, stars have attracted the attention of people, and primitive man, trying their nature, simply depicted them in cave paintings.
There are still many secrets in the world, but in Cosmos there are many more. There are billions of stars far visible in the sky, visible to the naked eye, and even more hidden from us, and because of this, the desire of Mankind to space is even more intensified.