Cosmic Scale
VY Canis Majoris
Red hypergiant · 3,900 light-years
How big is VY Canis Majoris?
VY Canis Majoris is about 2.0 × 10⁹ km across.
See VY Canis Majoris in 3D, at true scale
VY Canis Majoris is a red hypergiant losing mass at a spectacular rate, wrapped in a nebula of its own making. It is among the largest stars known and one of the most luminous in our galaxy.
At a glance
| Diameter | 2.0 × 10⁹ km |
|---|---|
| Mass | 3.38 × 10³¹ kg |
| Diameter compared with Earth | 155,000 × Earth |
| Distance | 3,900 light-years |
| Surface | 3,490 K |
| Radius | Around 1,400 Suns |
| Mass loss | ~30 Earth masses a year |
Good to know
- Placed at the Sun's position, its surface would extend past Jupiter's orbit.
- It is so unstable that it throws off arcs and knots of material, mapped in detail by Hubble.
- It is expected to collapse into a black hole rather than leave a neutron star.