VY Canis Majoris
Red hypergiant · VY Canis Majoris
One of the largest known stars by radius
An extreme red hypergiant in Canis Major, so vast that if placed at the Sun's position it would engulf the orbits of the inner planets and reach toward Saturn. It is shedding mass dramatically and is expected to end as a supernova or collapse directly to a black hole.
Illustration generated from temperature, not a photograph
17.0 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
270 thousand ×
as bright as the Sun
3,490 K
surface · red
1,420 R☉
radius (the Sun = 1)
3,820 ly
from Earth
8.0
apparent magnitude
It pours out about 270 thousand times the Sun’s light. Its light has been travelling 3,820 years to reach us, so you see VY Canis Majoris as it was 3,820 years ago.
Source · View on Wikidata
It lives in
Milky Way
Barred spiral galaxy.
Other notable stars in Milky Way
Eta CarinaeLuminous blue variableAlnilamBlue supergiantAlnitakHot blue supergiantDenebBlue-white supergiantMintakaHot blue giant multiple starAntaresRed supergiant
Stars of similar brightness
AlnilamBlue supergiant271 thousand ×WOH G64Red hypergiant282 thousand ×AlnitakHot blue supergiant250 thousand ×DenebBlue-white supergiant196 thousand ×MintakaHot blue giant multiple star190 thousand ×Sanduleak -69° 202Blue supergiant (B3 Ia)100 thousand ×
Worlds in the same direction on the sky→