Star
A red hypergiant among the largest stars known, shedding so much gas that its own dust dims the view of it from Earth.
| Type | Star |
|---|---|
| Distance from Earth | 3,820 ly |
| Diameter | 1,975,000,000 km |
| Mass | 3.38 × 10^31 kg |
| Temperature | 3,217°C |
| Apparent magnitude | 7.95 |
| Redshift | 0 |
| Discovered | 1801 |
At 1,975,000,000 km across, VY Canis Majoris is 1,418 times the diameter of the Sun.
Its mass is 17 times the mass of the Sun.
The light reaching us from VY Canis Majoris tonight left it around 3,820 years ago.
Its surface sits at 3,490 K, cooler than the Sun at 5,772 K, which is what sets its colour.
It has been on record since 1801.
Play today's Cosmodle