Quais são as 10 maiores estrelas do universo conhecido?
Você já deve ter se perguntado, em algum momento, quais são as maiores estrelas do universo. A verdade é que responder isso é um pouco complicado, então vamos nos ater ao universo conhecido pelo homem.
To define the largest stars in the universe, let’s first consider their diameters. The stars in the universe are generally defined as gigantic spheres of pure plasma, large and luminous, held together by an incalculable self-gravity.
How are the stars of the universe born?
In general, a star will always be born in a region known as a “stellar nursery.” These nurseries usually arise in nebulae, which are colossal molecular clouds scattered throughout the universe.
These clouds are so large that they can contain a multitude of unique galaxies within them. They are formed by gases and stellar dust, and due to gravity, this dust and gas begin to clump together, causing the cloud to lose some of its denser matter. Little by little, the dust gathers and gains density and heat, beginning to rotate on its own axis while attracting more and more material to itself.
A star is truly born when the hydrogen atoms within this junction begin to heat up to extremely high temperatures, pressured by the stellar density, and thus end up fusing, becoming helium. This process is called nuclear fusion.
Top 10 biggest stars in the known universe
In tenth place, we have V766 Centauri, the largest yellow star ever found. It is about 1300 times the size of our Sun and was detected by the VLT telescope, located in France. This star is actually part of a system formed by two different stars.
In ninth place, MU Cephei is a gigantic red star located in the constellation Cepheus. Within the Milky Way, it is one of the largest and brightest stars. Its color is a deep red, almost like blood.
In eighth place is KY Cygni, another red supergiant among the 10 largest stars in the universe. It is located in the constellation Cygnus.
In seventh place, VY Canis. This star is a red hypergiant that is part of the constellation Canis Major, and has a diameter so large that almost 3,000 suns could fit inside it.
In sixth place is KW Sagittarii, another red hypergiant. It is almost 10,000 light-years from our sun, and its diameter is slightly larger than that of VT Canis. It is located in the constellation Sagittarius.
Next, in fourth place, is RW Cephei, a red M-class star in the constellation Cepheus. Its radius is almost 1700 times that of the Sun, and it is as large as the orbit that Jupiter makes around the Sun.
The third star, making it onto the podium of the largest stars in the universe, is NML Cygni. This is a red hypergiant, considered one of the most luminous in known space.
Second place went to VV Cephei A, a star with a luminous spectrum classified as MS, and which has a diameter of almost 4000 suns. If you placed it at the center of our solar system, it would engulf a large portion of the planets.
Finally, in first place we have WOH G64. This colossal red star is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, and its estimated size is 2,985,000,000 kilometers. Simply terrifying!
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