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TOP 6 BIGGEST STARS IN THE UNIVERSE

Posted byM. Özgür Nevres September 15, 2018December 26, 2020 Leave a comment on
Top 6 Biggest Stars in the Universe

Home » Astronomy » Top 6 Biggest Stars in the Universe

What is the biggest star in the Universe? In fact, it is really hard to give an
exact answer to this question since the universe is big, neighboring and the
other galaxies are billions of light-years away from us. But, we can give it a
try. Here are the top 6 biggest stars in the Universe currently known by radius.

Since the Sun is the best-known star for us, solar radius and solar mass are two
useful units of measurement to depict how big is a star. A solar radius is
approximately 690,000 km (432,000 miles) and 1 solar mass is 2 x 1030 kilograms
(4.3 x 1030 pounds).

And please keep in mind that the list below can change any time with new
findings and discoveries.

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Related: How many stars one can see with the naked eye?


BIGGEST STARS IN THE UNIVERSE (AS FAR AS WE KNOW SO FAR)


6. VY CANIS MAJORIS: 1,420 ± 120 SOLAR RADII

One of the largest known stars, and is also one of the most luminous and massive
red supergiants (or red hypergiants), VY Canis Majoris has a radius of 1,420 ±
120 solar radii. This red hypergiant star was previously estimated to be 1,800
to 2,200 solar radii, making it even larger than the orbit of Saturn (which is
between 1,940-2,169 solar radii), but that size put it outside the bounds of
stellar evolutionary theory. New measurements brought it down to size.

But, still, if placed at the center of the Solar System, this red hypergiant’s
surface would extend beyond the orbit of Jupiter, which is between 1,064 and
1,173 solar radii. It is big, really big: you can see yourself how far away is
Jupiter from the Sun using a scaled model of our solar system.

It is located at 1.2 kiloparsecs (3,900 light-years) away from Earth in the
constellation of Canis Major. Some sources still list VY Canis Majoris as the
largest star in the Universe.

Biggest Stars in the Universe: Hubble Space Telescope image showing the
asymmetric nebula surrounding VY Canis Majoris, which is the central star. Taken
on November 6, 2013. Image source: Wikipedia via Flickr, by the user Judy
Schmidt


5. HD 143183: 1,480-1,830 SOLAR RADII

HD 143183 is a red supergiant or hypergiant star in the constellation Norma, at
a distance of over 2 kiloparsecs (over 6,523 light-years). It is one of the most
luminous red supergiants and its calculated radius is between 1,480 and 1,830
solar radii.

Biggest Stars in the Universe: HD 143183 (the brightest star in the image) as
seen from the Rutherfurd Observatory, the astronomical facility maintained by
Columbia University named after Lewis Morris Rutherfurd (November 25, 1816 – May
30, 1892), the American lawyer and astronomer, and a pioneering
astrophotographer. HD 143183 is a red supergiant or hypergiant star in the
constellation Norma, at a distance of over 2 kiloparsecs (over 6,523
light-years). It is one of the most luminous red supergiants and its calculated
radius is between 1,480 and 1,830 solar radii.


4. WESTERLUND 1-26: 1,530-1,580 SOLAR RADII

With a radius between 1,530-2,550 solar radii, Westerlund 1-26 is one of the
largest stars discovered so far. This red supergiant or hypergiant is located
on the outskirts of the Westerlund 1 super star cluster, a compact young super
star cluster in the Milky Way galaxy, about 3.5-5 kiloparsecs (11,415-16,300
light-years) away from Earth. Westerlund 1-26 is located about 11,500
light-years from our planet.

Biggest Stars in the Universe: NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals the
supercluster Westerlund 1, home to one of the largest stars ever discovered,
originally named Westerlund 1-26. It is a red supergiant (although sometimes
classified as a hypergiant) with a radius over 1500 times that of our Sun.
Image: ESA/Hubble.
Most of Westerlund 1’s stars are thought to have formed in the same burst of
activity, meaning that they have similar ages and compositions. The cluster is
relatively young in astronomical terms – at around three million years old it is
a baby compared to our own Sun, which is some 4.6 billion years old.


3. RW CEPHEI: 1,535 SOLAR RADII

Estimated at 1,535 solar radii, RW Cephei is an orange hypergiant star in the
constellation Cepheus. It is about 4 kiloparsecs (14,000 light-years) away from
Earth.

Biggest Stars in the Universe: RW Cephei is the bright star at the left bottom.
Photo: Sloan Digital Sky Survey


2. WOH G64: 1,540-1,730 SOLAR RADII

163,000 light-years away from Earth and one of the largest known stars, with a
radius of 1,540 to 1,730 solar radii, WOH G64 is a red hypergiant star in the
Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. Some estimates it
is even bigger: in 2004, Monnier et al. calculated that the star has a radius
around 3,000 radii.

Biggest Stars in the Universe: Location of WOH G64 (circled) in the Large
Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. Image: NASA’s Spitzer
Space Telescope


1. UY SCUTI: 1,708 ± 192 SOLAR RADII, THE BIGGEST KNOWN STAR IN THE UNIVERSE

With a radius of 1,708 ± 192 Solar Radii, UY Scuti is probably the biggest known
star. It is first cataloged in 1860, by German astronomers at the Bonn
Observatory.

In the summer of 2012, astronomers using AMBER interferometry from the Very
Large Telescope (VLT) in the Atacama Desert in Chile measured the parameters of
three red supergiants near the Galactic Center region: UY Scuti, AH Scorpii, and
KW Sagittarii. They determined that all three stars are over 1,000 times bigger
than the Sun and over 100,000 times more luminous than Sun. UY Scuti was found
to be the largest and the most luminous of the three stars measured, at 1,708 ±
192 R☉ (Solar radii).

Biggest Stars in the Universe: Dense starfield around the red supergiant star UY
Scuti as seen from the Rutherfurd Observatory at Columbia University in New
York, United States. UY Scuti is the brightest star in the image. The picture
was captured in 2011. UY Scuti is one of the largest known stars by radius (and
perhaps the largest). Image: Wikipedia, by the user Haktarfone
UY Scuti vs Sun size comparison. The Sun is only 1 pixel in diameter in this
image. UY Scuti is the biggest known star in the Universe.
Biggest Stars in the Universe: UY Scuti vs Sun size comparison.


WHAT IS THE MOST MASSIVE STAR?

UY Scuti’s large radius doesn’t make it the most massive star – that title goes
to R136a1. It lies at a distance of about 50 kiloparsecs (163,000 light-years)
in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It has the highest mass and luminosity of any
known star, at 315 M☉ (solar mass) and 8.7 million L☉ (solar luminosity), and is
also one of the hottest at around 53,000 K. It is much larger than our Sun, but
with a radius of between 28.8-35.4 solar radii, it is much smaller than the
stars in this list.

UY Scuti has around 10 solar mass.

Artist’s impression of R136a1, the most massive star ever known. Image:
Wikipedia, created by Sephirohq.

Related: Why the night sky is dark?


SOURCES

 * List of Largest Stars on Wikipedia
 * VY Canis Majoris on Wikipedia
 * HD 143183 on Wikipedia
 * Westerlund 1-26 on Wikipedia
 * RW Cephei on Wikipedia
 * “Mass loss from the M 3 supergiant HD 143183 in a young compact star cluster
   in Norma”. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 50 (3): 429-434.
 * WOH G64 on Wikipedia
 * UY Scuti on Wikipedia
 * R136a1 on Wikipedia
 * What is the Biggest Star in the Universe? by Fraser Cain on Universe Today
 * What Is the Biggest Star? on Space.com

 * Author
 * Recent Posts

M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer, a former road racing cyclist, and a science
enthusiast. Also an animal lover! I write about the planet Earth and science on
this website, ourplnt.com. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. Please
consider supporting me on Patreon.
Latest posts by M. Özgür Nevres (see all)
 * Why don’t we shoot garbage into the Sun? - August 3, 2021
 * Top 20 Countries having the most number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (July
   31, 2021 Update) - July 31, 2021
 * No, your ignorance is not as good as an expert’s knowledge - July 29, 2021



Posted byM. Özgür NevresSeptember 15, 2018December 26, 2020Posted
inAstronomyTags: Hubble Space Telescope, Milky Way, Saturn, Sun


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