Does VY Canis Majoris still exist?
VY Canis Majoris is less than 10 million years old and considered to be in its “old age.” The red hypergiant giant phase of a star like this one is estimated to last between 100,000 and 500,000 years. VY Canis Major is predicted to explode as a supernova within the next 100,000 years.
Where can I find VY Canis Majoris?
This is the brightest star in the sky, and marks the eye of the constellation called Canis Major, Latin for “the Large Dog.” Just to the east (left) of the triangle at the bottom of Canis Major is the 8th-magnitude star VY Canis Majoris. Although not very bright, this is one the largest stars in the sky.
Which is bigger UY Scuti or VY Canis Majoris?
Yes, VY Canis Majoris of the constellation canis major is larger than UY Scuti and is the biggest star ever discovered by man. That honor goes to R136a1, which weighs in at about 300 times the mass of the sun but only about 30 solar radii.
What type of galaxy is the Canis Major dwarf galaxy?
irregular galaxy
A small, irregular galaxy with a mass of about a billion solar masses, the Canis Major dwarf galaxy is one of our closest neighbours, lying approximately 25,000 light years from the Sun and 42,000 light years from the centre of the Milky Way.
What would happen if UY Scuti exploded?
So the force of 100 stars exploding would obliterate everything nearby. Even if Earth was far enough away to survive the blast, without the star, there would be no heat and no light, and life could not survive on Earth without them.
How many miles is UY Scuti?
5,219 light yearsUY Scuti / Distance to Earth
What is the smallest galaxy?
Segue 2
An ultra-faint collection of 1,000 stars orbiting the Milky Way is the most lightweight galaxy ever discovered, scientists say. The dwarf galaxy known as Segue 2 is bound together by a tiny clump of dark matter.
Who discovered UY Scuti?
German astronomers
UY Scuti was discovered by German astronomers at the Bonn Observatory in 1860. However, the star was better documented in 2012 with the help of greater technological equipment. Data revealed that UY Scuti was around 7 to 10 times more massive than our Sun, and had a radius approximately 1.700 times larger.
Is VY Canis Majoris A multiple star?
At the time, VY Canis Majoris was suspected to be a multiple star, but now the components that were detected by 19th century observers are known to be bright patches in the nebula surrounding the star. VY Canis Majoris was confirmed not to have any companions by visual observations in 1957 and imaging in 1998. VY Canis Majoris ejecta shell.
What type of star is VY CMa?
VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) is an exceptionally large, luminous red hypergiant star located in the constellation Canis Major. With a radius about 1,420 times that of the Sun, corresponding to a diameter of 13.2 astronomical units, VY Canis Majoris is one of the largest known stars in the Milky Way.
What would happen if VY Canis Majoris exploded?
Being almost 4,000 light years away, the star is too distant from Earth for its explosion to affect us, but the hypernova event would almost certainly destroy any life on any planets in its range. The star VY Canis Majoris is a red hypergiant, one of the largest known stars in the Milky Way.
What is the size of VY Canis Majoris ejecta?
VY Canis Majoris ejecta shell. Image: Judy Schmidt The star’s properties indicate that it was an O-type star with an estimated mass between 15 and 35 times that of the Sun during its main sequence. The diameter of VY CMa, 13.2 astronomical units, corresponds to about 1,976,640,000 kilometres.