10 of the Biggest Stars in the Universe

The stars that exist in our universe are definitely huge. In fact, our closest star, the Sun, has a diameter of an astonishing 1.4 million km (865,000 miles), which is large enough to fit 1.3 million Earths within it.

However, within the grand scale of the universe, this is a fairly average size. Although many stars are small, scientists have discovered many cosmic giants that are hundreds of times larger. But what is the largest star in the universe?

Introducing the 10 biggest stars ever known to humanity.

10.HV888

HV 888 looks a lot like Clifford the dog, except it is located 163,000 light-years away, and is red and very large.

With a solar radius of 1,374 (our Sun has a solar radius of 1), this scarlet supergiant’s color actually indicates that it is nearing the end of its life. Scientists don’t know exactly when the star will go supernova. It could be today, or the star could continue to burn for millions of more years.

Until then, HV 888 will shine incredibly brightly, about 300,000 to more than 500,000 times brighter than the Sun. In other words, anyone living on one of this star’s possible exoplanets would likely need some pretty bright sunglasses.

9. Ah, Scorpio

AH Scorpii is a red supergiant star found in the constellation Scorpius, hence its name. Although she is 1,411 times larger than the Sun, the star is probably much cooler, with a surface temperature between 3,176.85°C (5750.33°F) and 3,408.85°C (6167.93°F). For comparison, our sun is hot at 5,226.85°C (9380.33°F).In other words, AH Scorpio is still very very hot.

8.CM Velorum

CM Bellorum, located in the constellation Vela, is a red star 1,416 times larger than the Sun. However, despite its size, this star is invisible to the naked eye without a telescope. This is partly due to its distance from Earth, which is calculated to be approximately 15,000 light-years away.

7.HD12463

Not much is known about the star, known as HD 12463, but it is estimated to be 1,420 times larger than the Sun. It is located about 163,000 light-years from us in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy derived from the Milky Way.

6. VY Canis Major

VY Canis Majoris is an oxygen-rich supergiant star 1,420 times larger than the Sun. It is so large that even traveling at the speed of light, it would take him 6 hours to circumnavigate its surface (try this with the Sun and it would take only 14.5 seconds).

Even if you have the time, I don’t recommend it. The temperature of this star is 3,730°C (6,740°F). It’s also incredibly bright, about 300,000 to 500,000 times brighter than the Sun.

5.HD 269551

HD 269551 may not have the catchiest name in the universe, but it’s still a memorable star for its massive size. Its size has been measured to be 1,439 times that of the Sun.

Like many of the large stars on this list, HD 269551 is highly unstable and nearing the end of its life, and will explode as a supernova within the next few million years (a very short time in the grand scale of the universe) It is expected that

4.RSGC1-F01

RSGC1 F01 is located in a star cluster in the Milky Way galaxy in the constellation Scuta. Its size is estimated to be 1,436 to 1,530 times that of the Sun.

Remarkably, if RSGC1-F02 were placed at the center of our solar system, the star’s surface (known as the photosphere) would reach Jupiter’s orbit.

3.WOH 5170

WOH S170, located in the constellation Leo, is a red star 1,461 times larger than the Sun. Wow, sure.

2.WOH G64

WOH G64 is a very large star, 1,540 times the size of the Sun.That’s also very likely very Dusty: Encased in a thick layer of tiny particles about 1 light-year in diameter.

WHO G64 is also a very cool star (literally), with a temperature of 3,100°C (or 5,600°F). Compare this to the surface temperature of the sun. The sun’s surface temperature is a fairly warm 5,226.85°C (9380.33°F).

1. UY spine

UY Scuti is the largest star ever observed in the universe. The red supergiant star is 1,708 times the width of the Sun and has a radius of 1.2 billion km (738 million miles). This star is located approximately 9,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scutum, near the center of the Milky Way.

Despite its massive size, UY Scutum’s temperature is actually 40 percent colder than the Sun’s 3092°C (1700°F). This is because the star has already used up most of its hydrogen fuel, which produces heat and light. This lower temperature means the star emits a reddish glow.

UY Scuti is also a surprisingly young star, probably only 10 to 20 million years old. It may sound like an exaggeration, but the age of our sun is estimated to be 4.6 billion years. But UY Scuti burns through its fuel so quickly that the star is likely at the end of its life and may only have a few million years left.

It is not clear what happens to UY Scuti at the end of its life cycle. It’s possible that the star could explode in a polar nova (triggering a shock wave that triggers the formation of new stars), but one theory suggests UY Scuti would collapse to form a hotter star.

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