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Star

VY Canis Majoris

Also VY CMa · HD 58061

Open in OuranosCompare its size
VY Canis Majoris — Hubble, visible light
Hubble, visible light. Credit: NASA/ESA and R. Humphreys (University of Minnesota). Licence: CC BY 4.0. Source

A red hypergiant, one of the largest known stars, wrapped in dust it is shedding.

Measured

Distance
about 3,914 light-years (published estimates 3,588–4,338)
Constellation
Canis Major
Position (J2000)
RA 7h 22m 58s, Dec −25.77°

How far, from the Sun

About 3,910 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light3,910 years
  • Voyager 1's speed69.5 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h42.2 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • Its radius is about 1,420 times the Sun's.
  • Placed at the Sun, it would reach beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
  • It is losing mass fast, wrapped in clouds of its own dust.

Where this comes from

  • Zhang et al. 2012, maser parallax (1.20 +0.13/−0.10 kpc)

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.