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Comparison of the size of a hypergiant star to that of our solar system
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Comparison of the size of a hypergiant star to that of our solar system
This artists concept compares the size of a gargantuan star and its surrounding dusty disk to that of our solar system. Monstrous disks like this one were discovered around two hypergiant stars by the Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers believe these disks might contain the early seeds of planets, or possibly leftover debris from planets that already formed. R 66 and R 126, the hypergiant stars discovered by Spitzer, are located about 170, 000 light-years away in our Milky Ways nearest neighbor galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The stars are about 100 times wider than the sun, and are 30 and 70 times the mass of the sun, respectively. ašašHypergiant stars are the puffed-up, aging descendants of the most massive class of stars, called O-stars. The stars are so massive that their cores ultimately collapse under their own weight, triggering incredible explosions called supernovae
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Media ID 13057305
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This print showcases the awe-inspiring comparison between a hypergiant star and our humble solar system. In this artist's concept, we witness the sheer magnitude of these gargantuan stars as they tower over their surrounding dusty disks. Discovered by the Spitzer Space Telescope, these monstrous disks are believed to harbor the early seeds of planets or remnants from already formed ones. Located approximately 170,000 light-years away in our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, R 66 and R 126 are two hypergiant stars that astoundingly surpass our sun's size by a staggering factor of 100. With masses reaching 30 and 70 times that of our sun respectively, these aging descendants of O-stars eventually collapse under their own weight, triggering extraordinary supernovae explosions. The image beautifully captures the vibrant colors emanating from these luminous celestial bodies - their bright cores surrounded by halos and bands of dust. Against this backdrop, we can appreciate the scale variation between Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (not mentioned), Saturn (not mentioned), Uranus (mentioned), Neptune (mentioned), Pluto (mentioned) - all dwarfed by both the hypergiant star and its expansive disk. As we gaze upon this digitally generated illustration taken from space itself with no human presence in sight; it serves as a humbling reminder of just how vast and diverse our universe truly is.
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