There are billions and trillions of stars in our universe. To put it into perspective, there are around 200 sextillion stars in the universe.
Within this expansive number arestars of all shapes and sizes. This includesthe smallest star ever recorded,"EBLM J0555-57Ab,"which is about the size of Saturn.But what about the biggest star in the universe?
You're going to need more than just a telescope to get a glimpse of this hypergiant star. Here is what you need to know about the biggest star in the universe and how it compares to our Sun.
What is the biggest star in the universe?
The largest knownstar in the universe isUY Scuti. It has an estimated radius of1.188 billion kilometers.If UY Scuti were the center of our solar system, its photosphere, or outer shell, would reach just past the orbit of Jupiter.
It is a red hypergiant, meaning it has an enormous mass and luminosity. These types of stars are harder to find, however, because of their short life spans. Unlike other stars which last for billions of years, hypergiants only exist for a few million years.
UY Scuti was discovered in 1860 by German astronomers; at the time, it was named "BD-12 5055."This star can be found near the center of the Milky Way, around 9,500 lightyears away from Earth. It is a part of the constellation Scutum.
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Is the Sun the biggest star?
The Sun may be the center of our solar system, but it is not the biggest star in the universe. The Sun has a mean radius of around 696,000 kilometers, or 432,450 miles.
In comparison to UY Scuti, the Sun's radiusis 1,700 times smaller. About 5 billion Suns could fit inside UY Scuti.
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