VY Canis Majoris facts for kids
VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) is a red hypergiant star in the constellation Canis Major. It is about 1.2 kiloparsecs (3,900 light-years) distant from Earth. It is one of the Largest known Stars in the universe, and one of the most luminous of its type.
VY Canis Majoris is 1,420 times wider than the Sun. If placed at the center of the Solar System, VY Canis Majoris's surface would extend beyond Jupiter's orbit. However, there is still some variation in the size estimates as other estimates of the radius make it larger than the orbit of Saturn.
VY CMa is a single star, a "semiregular" variable with a period of about 2,001 days. It has an average density of 5 to 10 mg/m3.
When it dies it is expected to explode to a Supernova and then turn into a Black hole.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Portrait in bust of Jérôme Lalande in 1802
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WFPC2/HST image showing the asymmetric nebula surrounding VY CMa, which is the central star
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Map of the giant molecular cloud Sharpless 310 and its surroundings
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Image taken by the ESO's Very Large Telescope showing the asymmetric nebula around VY CMa using SPHERE instrument. The star itself is hidden behind a dark disk. Crosses are artifacts due to the characteristics of the instrument.
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VY Canis Majoris (brightest star in the image) and its surrounding molecular cloud complex (Rutherfurd Observatory/Columbia University)
See also
In Spanish: VY Canis Majoris para niños
