Supergiant stars - the cosmic fate of these colossal luminaries destined them to burst into a supernova at a certain time.

All stars are born in the same way. A giant cloud of molecular hydrogen begins to shrink into a ball under the influence of gravity until the internal temperature triggers nuclear fusion. Throughout their existence, the luminaries are in a state of struggle with themselves, the outer layer is crushed by the force of gravity, and the core is pressed by the force of the heated substance, which tends to expand. In the process of existence, hydrogen and helium gradually burn out in the center and ordinary luminaries with a significant mass become supergiants. There are such objects in young formations, such as irregular galaxies or open clusters.

Properties and Options

Mass plays a decisive role in the formation of stars - more energy is synthesized in a large core, which increases the temperature of the star and its activity. Approaching the final segment of existence, objects with a weight exceeding the sun by 10-70 times, pass into the category of supergiants. In the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, which characterizes the relationship of magnitude, luminosity, temperature and spectral type, such luminaries are located on top, indicating a high (from +5 to +12) apparent magnitude of objects. They are shorter than those of other stars, because they reach their state at the end of the evolutionary process, when the reserves of nuclear fuel are running out. In hot objects, helium and hydrogen run out, and combustion continues due to oxygen and carbon and further up to iron.

Classification of supergiant stars

According to the Yerkes classification, which reflects the subordination of the luminosity spectrum, supergiants belong to class I. They were divided into two groups:

• Ia - bright supergiants or hypergiants;
• Ib are less luminous supergiants.

According to their spectral type in the Harvard classification, these stars occupy the interval from O to M. Blue supergiants are represented by classes O, B, A, red - K, M, intermediate and poorly studied yellow - F, G.

Red supergiants

Large stars leave the main sequence when carbon and oxygen begin to burn in their core - they become red supergiants. Their gas envelope grows to enormous sizes, spreading over millions of kilometers. Chemical processes that take place with the penetration of convection from the shell into the core lead to the synthesis of heavy elements of the iron peak, which, after the explosion, scatter in space. It is red supergiants that usually end the life of a star and explode in a supernova. The gas envelope of the star gives rise to a new nebula, and the degenerate core turns into a white dwarf. and - the largest objects among the dying red luminaries.

Blue supergiants

Unlike red, long-living giants, these are young and hot stars, exceeding the mass of the sun by 10-50 times, and by a radius of 20-25 times. Their temperature is impressive - it is 20-50 thousand degrees. The surface of blue supergiants is rapidly decreasing due to compression, while the radiation of internal energy is constantly growing and increasing the temperature of the star. The result of this process is the transformation of red supergiants into blue ones. Astronomers have noticed that stars go through various stages in their development, at intermediate stages they turn yellow or white. Orion's brightest star is a great example of a blue supergiant. Its impressive mass is 20 times greater than the Sun, its luminosity is 130 thousand times higher.

Star - VY Canis Majoris is the largest of all known stars in the Milky Way. A mention of her can be found in a star catalog published back in 1801. There she is listed as a star of the seventh magnitude.

The red hypergiant VY Canis Majoris is located at a distance of 4900 light years from Earth. It is 2100 times larger than the Sun. In other words, if we imagine that VY suddenly appeared in the place of our luminary, then it would swallow up all the planets up to Saturn. In order to fly around such a "ball" at a speed of 900 km / h, it will take 1100 years. However, when moving at the speed of light, it will take much less time - only 8 minutes.

Since the middle of the 19th century, VY Canis Majoris has been known to have a crimson hue. It was assumed that it is a multiple. But later it turned out that this is a single star and it does not have a companion. And the raspberry glow spectrum is provided by the surrounding nebula.

3 or more stars that are seen as closely spaced are called a multiple star. If in fact they are just close to the line of sight, then this is an optical multiple star, if they are united by gravity, it is physically multiple.

With such gigantic dimensions, the mass of the star is only 40 times the mass of the Sun. The density of gases inside it is very low - this explains such an impressive size and relatively low weight. The force of gravity is not able to prevent the loss of stellar fuel. It is believed that by now the hypergiant has already lost more than half of its original mass.

Back in the middle of the 19th century, scientists noted that a giant star was losing its brightness. However, this parameter is still very impressive even now - the brightness of the VY glow is 500 times greater than the Sun.

Scientists believe that when the VY fuel runs out, it will explode in a supernova. The explosion will destroy any life for several light years around. But the Earth will not suffer - the distance is too great.

And the smallest

In 2006, it appeared in the press that a group of Canadian scientists led by Dr. Harvey Reicher had discovered the smallest star currently known in our galaxy. It is located in the star cluster NGC 6397 - the second farthest from the Sun. The research was carried out using the Hubble telescope.

The mass of the discovered luminary is close to the theoretically calculated lower limit and is 8.3% of the mass of the Sun. The existence of smaller stellar objects is considered impossible. Their small size simply does not allow nuclear fusion reactions to begin. The brightness of such objects is similar to the glow of a candle lit on the moon.

Seemingly inconspicuous UY Shield

Modern astrophysics in terms of stars seems to be re-experiencing its infancy. Observations of the stars give more questions than answers. Therefore, when asking which star is the largest in the Universe, you need to be immediately ready for answers. Are you asking about the largest star known to science, or about what limits science limits a star to? As is usually the case, in both cases you will not get a definitive answer. The most likely candidate for the largest star quite equally shares the palm with his "neighbors". As for how much it can be less than the real "king of the star" also remains open.

Comparison of the sizes of the Sun and the star UY Scuti. The sun is an almost invisible pixel to the left of UY Shield.

The supergiant UY Scutum, with some reservation, can be called the largest star observed today. Why "with reservation" will be said below. UY Scuti is 9500 light-years away and is seen as a dim variable star visible through a small telescope. According to astronomers, its radius exceeds 1700 radii of the Sun, and during the pulsation period this size can increase to as much as 2000.

It turns out that if such a star were placed in the place of the Sun, the current orbits of a terrestrial planet would be in the depths of a supergiant, and the boundaries of its photosphere would sometimes rest against the orbit. If we imagine our Earth as a grain of buckwheat, and the Sun as a watermelon, then the diameter of the UY Shield will be comparable to the height of the Ostankino TV tower.

To fly around such a star at the speed of light will take as much as 7-8 hours. Recall that the light emitted by the Sun reaches our planet in just 8 minutes. If you fly at the same speed with which it makes one revolution around the Earth in an hour and a half, then the flight around the UY Shield will last almost five years. Now imagine these scales, given that the ISS flies 20 times faster than a bullet and tens of times faster than passenger airliners.

Mass and Luminosity of UY Shield

It is worth noting that such a monstrous size of the UY Shield is completely incomparable with its other parameters. This star is "only" 7-10 times more massive than the Sun. It turns out that the average density of this supergiant is almost a million times lower than the density of the air surrounding us! For comparison, the density of the Sun is one and a half times the density of water, and a grain of matter even “weighs” millions of tons. Roughly speaking, the average matter of such a star is similar in density to the layer of the atmosphere located at an altitude of about one hundred kilometers above sea level. This layer, also called the Karman line, is a conditional boundary between the earth's atmosphere and space. It turns out that the density of the UY Shield is only a little short of the vacuum of space!

Also UY Shield is not the brightest. With its own luminosity of 340,000 solar, it is ten times dimmer than the brightest stars. A good example is the star R136, which, being the most massive star known today (265 solar masses), is almost nine million times brighter than the Sun. At the same time, the star is only 36 times larger than the Sun. It turns out that R136 is 25 times brighter and about the same times more massive than UY Shield, despite the fact that it is 50 times smaller than the giant.

Physical parameters of the UY Shield

In general, UY Scuti is a pulsating variable red supergiant of spectral type M4Ia. That is, on the Hertzsprung-Russell spectrum-luminosity diagram, UY Scutum is located in the upper right corner.

At the moment, the star is approaching the final stages of its evolution. Like all supergiants, she began to actively burn helium and some other heavier elements. According to current models, in a matter of millions of years, UY Scutum will successively transform into a yellow supergiant, then into a bright blue variable or a Wolf-Rayet star. The final stages of its evolution will be a supernova explosion, during which the star will shed its shell, most likely leaving behind a neutron star.

Already now UY Scutum shows its activity in the form of semi-regular variability with an approximate pulsation period of 740 days. Given that a star can change its radius from 1700 to 2000 solar radii, the rate of its expansion and contraction is comparable to the speed of spaceships! Its mass loss is an impressive rate of 58 millionth solar masses per year (or 19 Earth masses per year). This is almost one and a half earth masses per month. So, being on the main sequence millions of years ago, UY Scutum could have had a mass of 25 to 40 solar masses.

Giants among the stars

Returning to the reservation mentioned above, we note that the primacy of UY Shield as the largest known star cannot be called unequivocal. The fact is that astronomers still cannot determine the distance to most stars with a sufficient degree of accuracy, and therefore estimate their size. In addition, large stars tend to be very unstable (recall the UY Scutum pulsation). Similarly, they have a rather blurry structure. They may have a fairly extended atmosphere, opaque gas and dust shells, disks, or a large companion star (an example is VV Cephei, see below). It is impossible to say exactly where the boundary of such stars passes. In the end, the well-established concept of the boundary of stars as the radius of their photosphere is already extremely arbitrary.

Therefore, this number can include about a dozen stars, which include NML Cygnus, VV Cepheus A, VY Canis Major, WOH G64 and some others. All these stars are located in the vicinity of our galaxy (including its satellites) and are in many ways similar to each other. All of them are red supergiants or hypergiants (see below for the difference between super and hyper). Each of them in a matter of millions, or even thousands of years, will turn into a supernova. They are also similar in size, ranging from 1400-2000 solar.

Each of these stars has its own peculiarity. So in UY Shield, this feature is, as previously discussed, variability. WOH G64 has a toroidal gas and dust envelope. Extremely interesting is the double eclipsing variable star VV Cephei. It is a close system of two stars, consisting of the red hypergiant VV Cephei A and the blue main sequence star VV Cephei B. The centers of these stars are located from each other in some 17-34 . Considering that the VV radius of Cepheus B can reach 9 AU. (1900 solar radii), the stars are located at "arm's length" from each other. Their tandem is so close that whole pieces of the hypergiant flow with great speeds to the “little neighbor”, which is almost 200 times smaller than it.

Looking for a leader

Under such conditions, estimating the size of stars is already problematic. How can one talk about the size of a star if its atmosphere flows into another star, or smoothly passes into a gas and dust disk? This is despite the fact that the star itself consists of a very rarefied gas.

Moreover, all the largest stars are extremely unstable and short-lived. Such stars can live for a few millions, or even hundreds of thousands of years. Therefore, observing a giant star in another galaxy, you can be sure that a neutron star is now pulsating in its place or a black hole is warping space, surrounded by the remnants of a supernova explosion. If such a star is even thousands of light years away from us, one cannot be completely sure that it still exists or has remained the same giant.

Add to this the imperfection of modern methods for determining the distance to stars and a number of unspecified problems. It turns out that even among the ten largest known stars, it is impossible to single out a certain leader and arrange them in ascending order of size. In this case, Shield's UY was cited as the most likely candidate to lead the Big Ten. This does not mean at all that its leadership is undeniable and that, for example, NML Cygnus or VY Canis Major cannot be larger than her. Therefore, different sources can answer the question about the largest known star in different ways. This speaks rather not about their incompetence, but about the fact that science cannot give unambiguous answers even to such direct questions.

The largest in the universe

If science does not undertake to single out the largest among the discovered stars, how can we say which star is the largest in the Universe? According to scientists, the number of stars even within the boundaries of the observable universe is ten times greater than the number of grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Of course, even the most powerful modern telescopes can see an unimaginably smaller part of them. The fact that the largest stars can be distinguished by their luminosity will not help in the search for a “stellar leader”. Whatever their brightness is, it will fade when observing distant galaxies. Moreover, as noted earlier, the brightest stars are not the largest (example - R136).

Also remember that when observing a large star in a distant galaxy, we will actually see its "ghost". Therefore, it is not easy to find the largest star in the Universe, its searches will be simply meaningless.

Hypergiants

If the largest star is impossible to find practically, maybe it is worth developing it theoretically? That is, to find a certain limit, after which the existence of a star can no longer be a star. Even here, however, modern science faces a problem. The current theoretical model of the evolution and physics of stars does not explain much of what actually exists and is observed in telescopes. An example of this is the hypergiants.

Astronomers have repeatedly had to raise the bar for the limit of stellar mass. This limit was first introduced in 1924 by the English astrophysicist Arthur Eddington. Having obtained the cubic dependence of the luminosity of stars on their mass. Eddington realized that a star cannot accumulate mass indefinitely. The brightness increases faster than the mass, and sooner or later this will lead to a violation of hydrostatic equilibrium. The light pressure of the increasing brightness will literally blow away the outer layers of the star. The limit calculated by Eddington was 65 solar masses. Subsequently, astrophysicists refined his calculations by adding unaccounted components to them and using powerful computers. So the modern theoretical limit for the mass of stars is 150 solar masses. Now remember that the mass of R136a1 is 265 solar masses, which is almost twice the theoretical limit!

R136a1 is the most massive star known today. In addition to it, several more stars have significant masses, the number of which in our galaxy can be counted on the fingers. Such stars are called hypergiants. Note that R136a1 is much smaller than the stars that, it would seem, should be below it in class - for example, the supergiant UY Shield. This is because hypergiants are called not the largest, but the most massive stars. For such stars, a separate class was created on the spectrum-luminosity diagram (O), located above the class of supergiants (Ia). The exact initial bar for the mass of a hypergiant has not been established, but, as a rule, their mass exceeds 100 solar masses. None of the biggest stars of the "Big Ten" falls short of these limits.

Theoretical impasse

Modern science cannot explain the nature of the existence of stars whose mass exceeds 150 solar masses. This raises the question of how a theoretical limit to the size of stars can be determined if the radius of a star, unlike mass, is itself a vague concept.

Let's take into account the fact that it is not known exactly what the stars of the first generation were, and what they will be in the course of the further evolution of the Universe. Changes in the composition, metallicity of stars can lead to radical changes in their structure. Astrophysicists have only to comprehend the surprises that will be presented to them by further observations and theoretical research. It is quite possible that UY Shield may turn out to be a real crumb against the background of a hypothetical "king-star" that shines somewhere or will shine in the farthest corners of our Universe.

In fact, this question is not as simple as it seems. It is very difficult to determine the exact sizes of stars, it 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, it is not so easy to determine which is the largest star in the Universe - 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 for some hundreds, but for millions of kilometers.

Many stars do not have a strictly defined diameter, they pulsate, and become either larger or smaller. And they can change their diameter very significantly.

In addition, science does not stand still. More and more accurate measurements are being made, distances and other parameters are being refined, and some stars suddenly turn out to be much more interesting than they seemed. This also applies to sizes. Therefore, we consider several candidates that are among the largest stars in the universe. Note that all of them are located not too far in space terms, and they are also the largest stars in the Galaxy.

A red hypergiant that claims to be the largest star in the universe. Alas, it is not, but very close. It is in third place in terms of size.

VV Cephei - that is, double, and the giant in this system is component A, which will be discussed. The second component is an unremarkable blue star, 8 times the size of the Sun. But the red hypergiant is also a pulsating star, with a period of 150 days. Its dimensions can vary from 1050 to 1900 solar diameters, 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 eyesight, it can be found, and even with binoculars it’s generally easy.

UY Shield

This red hypergiant is also striking in its size. Some sites mention it as the largest star in the universe. Refers 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 of the solar system, then all the planets, up to Jupiter, will be inside it.

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. It shines 340,000 times stronger than the Sun, although the surface temperature is much lower due to its larger area.

At peak brightness, UY Scutum is visible as a faint reddish star with a brightness of 11.2 m, that is, it can be seen in a small telescope, but it 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 on it at all. In addition, there are clouds of dust between us - if they were not there, UY Scutum would be one of the brightest stars in our sky, despite the huge distance to it.

UY Scutum is a huge star. It can be compared with the previous candidate - VV Cephei. They are about the same at the maximum, and it is not even clear which one is larger. However, there is definitely an even bigger star!

VY Canis Major

The diameter of VY, however, according to some sources, is estimated at 1800-2100 solar, that is, this is a clear champion among all other red hypergiants. If it were at the center of the solar system, it would swallow up all the planets, along with Saturn. Previous candidates for the title of the largest stars in the universe would also fit into it completely.

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 dared to make such a flyby along the surface in a fighter jet, at a speed of 4500 km/h, then such a non-stop journey would take 220 years.

This star still raises a lot of questions, since its exact size is difficult to establish due to the diffuse corona, which has a much lower density than the sun. 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 substance 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 in a hypernova. Fortunately, it is 3900 light years away, and this terrible explosion does not threaten the Earth.

This star can be found in the sky with binoculars or a small telescope - its brightness varies from 6.5 to 9.6 m.

What is the largest star in the universe?

We looked at some of the largest stars in the universe known to scientists today. Their size is amazing. All of them are candidates for this title, but the data is constantly changing - science does not stand still. According to some reports, the UY of the Shield can also "swell" up to 2200 solar diameters, that is, become even larger than VY Canis Major. On the other hand, there is too much controversy 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 turn out to be more in fact, will be shown by further research and clarification. While the majority is in favor of UY Shield, 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 very correct to speak 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.

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

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 small distance from our planet. The giant red in the next few hundred years may 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.

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. 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 numbers 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 exploring 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.

The birth of any star occurs in approximately the same way - as a result of compression and compaction under the influence of its own gravity of a cloud, which consists mainly of interstellar gas and dust. According to scientists, it is this compression process that contributes to the formation of new stars. At present, thanks to modern equipment, scientists can see this process. In a telescope, it looks like certain zones that look like dark spots on a bright background. They are referred to as "giant molecular cloud complexes". These zones got such a name due to the fact that they contain hydrogen in the form of molecules. These complexes or systems, together with globular star clusters, are the largest structures in the Galaxy with a diameter of up to 1300 light years.

Simultaneously with the process of compression of the nebula, dense, dark, round-shaped clouds of gas and dust are also formed, which are called the Bok Globules. It was the American astronomer Bock who first described these globules, thanks to which they are now called that way. Initially, the mass of the globule is 200 times the mass of the Sun. However, gradually the globules continue to thicken, gaining mass and attracting matter from neighboring regions due to their gravity. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the inner part of the globule thickens many times faster than the outer one. In turn, this leads to heating and rotation of the globule. This process continues for several hundred thousand years, after which a protostar is formed.

As the mass of the star increases, more and more matter is attracted. There is also a release of energy from the gas that contracts inside, which leads to the formation of heat. In this regard, the pressure and temperature of the star increase, which leads to its glow with a dark red light. The protostar is characterized by its fairly large-scale dimensions. Despite the fact that heat is evenly distributed over its entire surface, it is still considered relatively cold. At the core, the temperature continues to rise. In addition, its rotation occurs and it acquires a somewhat flat shape. This process takes several million years.

Young stars are very difficult to see, especially with the naked eye. They can only be seen with special equipment. This is due to the fact that due to the dark dust cloud that surrounds the stars, the glow of young stars is almost invisible.

Thus, stars are born, evolve and die. At each stage of their development, stars have their own specific mass, temperature, and brightness. In this regard, all stars are usually classified into:

Main sequence stars;

Stars are dwarfs;

Giant stars.

What stars are giants

So, giant stars speak for themselves and, accordingly, have a significantly larger radius and high luminosity, in contrast to those main sequence stars that have the same surface temperature. Giant stars typically range in radius from 10 to 100 solar radii, and have luminosities between 10 and 1000 solar luminosities. The temperature of giant stars is relatively low due to the mass of the star, since it is distributed over the entire stellar surface, and reaches about 5000 degrees.

However, there are also stars that have many times greater luminosity than giant stars. Such stars are called supergiants and hypergiants.

A supergiant star is considered one of the most massive stars. Stars of this type occupy the upper part of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. These stars have a mass that ranges from 10 to 70 solar masses. Their luminosity is 30,000 solar luminosities or more. But the radii of supergiant stars can vary significantly - ranging from 30 to 500 solar radii. But there are also stars that have a radius exceeding 1000 solar. However, these supergiants are already moving into the category of hypergiants.

Due to the fact that these stars have very huge masses, their life expectancy is extremely short and ranges from 30 to several hundred million years. Supergiants can be observed, as a rule, in regions of active star formation - open star clusters, arms of spiral galaxies, as well as in irregular galaxies.

red giant

A red giant is a star of late spectral classes, which has a high luminosity and extended shells. The most famous red giants are Arcturus, Aldebaran, Gacrux, Mira.

Red giants belong to the spectral classes K and M. They also have a relatively low temperature of the radiating surface, which is about 3000 - 5000 degrees Kelvin. In turn, this indicates that the energy flux per unit radiating area is 2-10 times less than that of the Sun. The radius of red giants is in the range from 100 to 800 solar radii.

The spectra of red giants are characterized by the presence of molecular absorption bands, since some molecules are stable in their relatively cold photosphere. The maximum radiation falls on the red and infrared regions of the spectrum.

In addition to red giants, there are also white giants. A white giant is a main sequence star that is quite hot and bright. Sometimes a white giant star can combine with a red dwarf. Such a combination of stars is called a double or multiple and, as a rule, consists of stars of various types.

Stars are very different: small and large, bright and not very bright, old and young, hot and cold, white, blue, yellow, red, etc.

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram allows you to understand the classification of stars.

It shows the relationship between absolute magnitude, luminosity, spectral type, and surface temperature of a star. The stars in this diagram are not arranged randomly, but form well-defined areas.

Most of the stars are located on the so-called main sequence. The existence of the main sequence is due to the fact that the hydrogen burning stage is ~90% of the time of evolution of most stars: the burning of hydrogen in the central regions of the star leads to the formation of an isothermal helium core, the transition to the red giant stage, and the departure of the star from the main sequence. The relatively brief evolution of red giants leads, depending on their mass, to the formation of white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes.

Being at different stages of their evolutionary development, stars are divided into normal stars, dwarf stars, giant stars.

Normal stars are the main sequence stars. Our sun is one of them. Sometimes such normal stars as the Sun are called yellow dwarfs.

yellow dwarf

A yellow dwarf is a type of small main sequence star with a mass between 0.8 and 1.2 solar masses and a surface temperature of 5000–6000 K.

The lifetime of a yellow dwarf is on average 10 billion years.

After the entire supply of hydrogen burns out, the star increases many times in size and turns into a red giant. An example of this type of star is Aldebaran.

The red giant ejects its outer layers of gas, forming planetary nebulae, and the core collapses into a small, dense white dwarf.

A red giant is a large reddish or orange star. The formation of such stars is possible both at the stage of star formation and at the later stages of their existence.

At an early stage, the star radiates due to the gravitational energy released during compression, until the compression is stopped by the onset of a thermonuclear reaction.

At the later stages of the evolution of stars, after the hydrogen burns out in their interiors, the stars descend from the main sequence and move to the region of red giants and supergiants of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram: this stage lasts about 10% of the time of the “active” life of stars, that is, the stages of their evolution , during which nucleosynthesis reactions take place in the stellar interior.

The giant star has a relatively low surface temperature, about 5000 degrees. A huge radius, reaching 800 solar and due to such large sizes, a huge luminosity. The maximum radiation falls on the red and infrared regions of the spectrum, which is why they are called red giants.

The largest of the giants turn into red supergiants. A star called Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion is the most striking example of a red supergiant.

Dwarf stars are the opposite of giants and can be as follows.

A white dwarf is what remains of an ordinary star with a mass not exceeding 1.4 solar masses after it passes through the red giant stage.

Due to the absence of hydrogen, a thermonuclear reaction does not occur in the core of such stars.

White dwarfs are very dense. They are no larger than the Earth in size, but their mass can be compared with the mass of the Sun.

These are incredibly hot stars, reaching temperatures of 100,000 degrees or more. They shine on their remaining energy, but over time, it runs out, and the core cools down, turning into a black dwarf.

Red dwarfs are the most common stellar-type objects in the universe. Estimates of their abundance range from 70 to 90% of the number of all stars in the galaxy. They are quite different from other stars.

The mass of red dwarfs does not exceed a third of the solar mass (the lower mass limit is 0.08 solar, followed by brown dwarfs), the surface temperature reaches 3500 K. Red dwarfs have a spectral type M or late K. Stars of this type emit very little light, sometimes in 10,000 times smaller than the Sun.

Given their low radiation, none of the red dwarfs are visible from Earth to the naked eye. Even the closest red dwarf to the Sun, Proxima Centauri (the closest star in the triple system to the Sun) and the closest single red dwarf, Barnard's Star, have an apparent magnitude of 11.09 and 9.53, respectively. At the same time, a star with a magnitude of up to 7.72 can be observed with the naked eye.

Due to the low rate of hydrogen combustion, red dwarfs have a very long lifespan - from tens of billions to tens of trillions of years (a red dwarf with a mass of 0.1 solar masses will burn for 10 trillion years).

In red dwarfs, thermonuclear reactions involving helium are impossible, so they cannot turn into red giants. Over time, they gradually shrink and heat up more and more until they use up the entire supply of hydrogen fuel.

Gradually, according to theoretical concepts, they turn into blue dwarfs - a hypothetical class of stars, while none of the red dwarfs has yet managed to turn into a blue dwarf, and then into white dwarfs with a helium core.

Brown dwarf - substellar objects (with masses in the range of approximately 0.01 to 0.08 solar masses, or, respectively, from 12.57 to 80.35 Jupiter masses and a diameter approximately equal to that of Jupiter), in the depths of which, in contrast from main sequence stars, there is no thermonuclear fusion reaction with the conversion of hydrogen into helium.

The minimum temperature of main sequence stars is about 4000 K, the temperature of brown dwarfs lies in the range from 300 to 3000 K. Brown dwarfs constantly cool down throughout their lives, while the larger the dwarf, the slower it cools.

subbrown dwarfs

Subbrown dwarfs or brown subdwarfs are cold formations that lie below the brown dwarf limit in mass. Their mass is less than about one hundredth of the mass of the Sun or, respectively, 12.57 masses of Jupiter, the lower limit is not defined. They are more commonly considered planets, although the scientific community has not yet come to a final conclusion about what is considered a planet and what is a subbrown dwarf.

black dwarf

Black dwarfs are white dwarfs that have cooled down and therefore do not radiate in the visible range. Represents the final stage in the evolution of white dwarfs. The masses of black dwarfs, like the masses of white dwarfs, are limited from above by 1.4 solar masses.

A binary star is two gravitationally bound stars revolving around a common center of mass.

Sometimes there are systems of three or more stars, in such a general case the system is called a multiple star.

In cases where such a star system is not too far removed from the Earth, individual stars can be distinguished through a telescope. If the distance is significant, then to understand that before astronomers a double star is possible only by indirect signs - brightness fluctuations caused by periodic eclipses of one star by another and some others.

New star

Stars that suddenly increase in luminosity by a factor of 10,000. A nova is a binary system consisting of a white dwarf and a main sequence companion star. In such systems, gas from the star gradually flows into the white dwarf and periodically explodes there, causing a burst of luminosity.

Supernova

A supernova is a star that ends its evolution in a catastrophic explosive process. The flare in this case can be several orders of magnitude larger than in the case of a new star. Such a powerful explosion is a consequence of the processes taking place in the star at the last stage of evolution.

neutron star

Neutron stars (NS) are stellar formations with masses of the order of 1.5 solar masses and sizes noticeably smaller than white dwarfs, the typical radius of a neutron star is, presumably, of the order of 10-20 kilometers.

They consist mainly of neutral subatomic particles - neutrons, tightly compressed by gravitational forces. The density of such stars is extremely high, it is commensurate, and according to some estimates, it can be several times higher than the average density of the atomic nucleus. One cubic centimeter of NZ matter would weigh hundreds of millions of tons. The force of gravity on the surface of a neutron star is about 100 billion times greater than on Earth.

In our Galaxy, according to scientists, there can be from 100 million to 1 billion neutron stars, that is, somewhere around one in a thousand ordinary stars.

Pulsars

Pulsars are cosmic sources of electromagnetic radiation coming to Earth in the form of periodic bursts (pulses).

According to the dominant astrophysical model, pulsars are rotating neutron stars with a magnetic field that is tilted to the axis of rotation. When the Earth falls into the cone formed by this radiation, it is possible to record a radiation pulse that repeats at intervals equal to the period of revolution of the star. Some neutron stars make up to 600 revolutions per second.

cepheid

Cepheids are a class of pulsating variable stars with a fairly accurate period-luminosity relationship, named after the star Delta Cephei. One of the most famous Cepheids is the North Star.

The above list of the main types (types) of stars with their brief characteristics, of course, does not exhaust the entire possible variety of stars in the Universe.

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.

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 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 humanity.

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 taking place 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 the 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.