VY Canis Majoris
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VY Canis Majoris(VY CMa) is a red supergiant. This star is possibly one of the largest and one of the most luminous stars known.
Roberta M. Humphreys (2006) estimates the radius of VY CMa is between 1800 and 2100 solar radii. If our sun were replaced with such a star, its surface could extend to the orbit of Saturn.
There are two controversial opinions of the property of VY CMa. In one opinion (such as Roberta M. Humphreys's study[1]), the star is a very large and very luminous red hypergiant. In another opinion (such as Massey, Levesque, & Plez' study[2]), the star is a normal red supergiant.
The distance from earth to VY CMa is about 1.5k parsec(5,000 light year).
[edit] External links
- VY Canis Majoris: The Astrophysical Basis of Its Luminosity
- Bringing VY Canis Majoris Down to Size: An Improved Determination of Its Effective Temperature
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