VY Canis Majoris (also known as HD 58061 in the Henry Draper catalog) is an extreme red hypergiant star in the constellation Canis Major. It is one of the largest known stars, with a shocking radius of 1,420 times that of the Sun. VY Canis Majoris has been jokingly called “Betelgeuse on Steroids.” It was discovered in 1801 by astronomer… Continue reading VY Canis Majoris
Wolf 1061 (also known by its variable star designation V2306 Ophiuchi) is a red dwarf star in the constellation Ophiuchus. It is one of the nearest stars to Earth, with a distance of only 14 Light Years. Wolf 1061 is part of the Wolf dim star catalog, as well as other small stars like Wolf 359. Wolf 1061 has three… Continue reading Wolf 1061
R Horologii is a red supergiant star in the constellation Horologium. It is a Mira-type variable star with a magnitude of 4.7 to 14.3, one of the largest ranges of brightness for any star. It is located only 756 light years away, one of the closest large supergiants. R Horologii shares some traits with Antares and Betelgeuse, two other large… Continue reading R Horologii
V382 Carinae (also known as X Carinae) is an extremely rare yellow hypergiant star in the constellation Carina. Yellow hypergiants are extremely rare, with only 20 known ones in our galaxy alone. V382 Carinae is one of the largest stars, with a radius of 616 Solar Radii, nearly on par with Antares, Betelgeuse and R Horologii. V382 Carinae is usually… Continue reading V382 Carinae
Calvera is a neutron star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is named after the villain in the film The Magnificent Seven and the name was approved by the IAU in 2026. It is one of the nearest neutron stars to earth. It is a relatively young neutron star, as it is 285,000 years old. Astronomical data Diameter (in Kilometers):… Continue reading Calvera
Almaaz (better known as Epsilon Aurigae) is a yellow-white supergiant star in the constellation Auriga. It has a smaller blue main sequence star companion, dubbed Almaaz B or Epsilon Aurigae B. Almaaz A is a very historically important star, as in 1940 it was crowned as the largest star, with a radius of 2,400 Solar Radii at the time. It… Continue reading Almaaz
KY Cygni is a red hypergiant star in the constellation Cygnus. It is one of the largest known stars, with a radius of over 1,032 Solar Radii. It would be one of the brightest stars in the night sky if it weren’t for the dust surrounding it. KY Cygni also boasts a slow irregular variable star designation. KY Cygni is… Continue reading KY Cygni
Rigil Kentaurus (sometimes spelt Rigil Kentavrus and better known as Alpha Centauri A) is a yellow main sequence star in the constellation Centaurus. It is the third brightest star in the night sky, as well as the brightest star within its constellation. It is a binary with Toliman, which the two stars form a trinary with Proxima Centauri. The Alpha… Continue reading Rigil Kentaurus
Toliman (better known as Alpha Centauri B and also called Proksima Kentavra) is an orange dwarf star in the constellation Centaurus. It is the second nearest star to the sun and is part of the trinary star system Alpha Centauri. On its own, Toliman ranks at #21 of brightest stars in the night sky on average. Toliman and Rigil Kentaurus… Continue reading Toliman
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star in the constellation Centaurus. It is the nearest star to the Sun with only a distance of 4.24 Light Years. Proxima Centauri is a flare star, a star that changes brightness unpredictably. Its name in Latin means “The Nearest Star of Centaurus.” It was discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes. Proxima Centauri has… Continue reading Proxima Centauri
