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
There is a theory that Earth and sun and galaxy and all the known universes are only a dust mote on some policeman’s uniform in some gigantic super-world. Couldn’t we be under some super-microscope, right now? -Wolf 359, the Outer Limits Wolf 359 (also known by its Variable star designation CN Leonis) is a red dwarf star in the constellation… Continue reading Wolf 359
Westerlund 1 is a red supergiant cluster in the constellation Ara. As its name suggests, it was discovered by Bengt Westerlund in 1961. Westerlund also discovered the largest known star, WOH G64. Westerlund 1 is notable for containing four extreme red supergiant stars. Westerlund 1 also contains six yellow hypergiants, 24 Wolf Rayets, and a Luminous blue variable among many… Continue reading Westerlund 1
VFTS 352 is a contact binary system in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Both stars in the system are O-type deep blue stars, roughly 7 times larger than the Sun. While VFTS 3522 is larger and more massive, both stars are incredibly similar. Both stars are tidally locked. The stars may end up creating a rapidly spinning single star in the… Continue reading VFTS 352
WOH G64 is a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, in the constellation Dorado. It is currently the largest known star, with a whopping radius of 1,540 times that of the Sun. It is a common misconception that the largest star is Stephenson 2-18, which was found to have an inaccurate measurement. It has a small companion star, but not… Continue reading WOH G64
