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Mindful kids: The five biggest stars in the known universe

We all know the sun is very big, but it is certainly not the biggest star out there.

February 16, 2018
Monique van Wyk 1 minute read
WOH G64, RED HYPERGIANT STAR: This star is about 1 540 times the size of the sun. It is actually located outside of the Milky Way galaxy in the large Magellanic Cloud, which is about 170 000 light-years away.

OUTER space is endless and ever-growing. It is filled with billions and billions of stars – so much more than there are specks of dust on earth, and even more are born each second.

A star is defined as an immense ball of burning plasma, held together by its own gravity. The star that we are most familiar with is the sun. We all know the sun is very big, but it is certainly not the biggest star out there.

Humans have yet to discover most of everything that is in outer space, but for now, here is a list of the five biggest stars in the known universe.

VY CANIS MAJORIS, RED HYPERGIANT STAR: This is the largest known star in our galaxy. It is located roughly 3 900 light-years from earth, in the direction of the constellation Canis Majoris. It has an estimated radius between 1 800 and 2 100 times that of the sun. At this size, it would almost reach the orbit of Saturn if it were to be placed in our solar system.
MU CEPHEI, RED SUPERGIANT STAR: This star is in the constellation called Cepheus. It is about 1 650 times bigger than our sun. It is also one of the brightest stars in the Milky Way galaxy, with more than 38 000 times the sun’s luminosity.
V383 MONOCEROTIS, RED VARIABLE STAR: This star is about 20 000 light-years away from earth. Because of its distance from the sun, its actual size is difficult to determine. It’s between 41 800 and 216 700 times bigger than earth.

Also Read: 

Mindful kids: Five of the most dangerous animals in SA

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February 16, 2018
Monique van Wyk 1 minute read

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