VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) is a red Hypergiant star located in the constellation Canis Major. With a size of 2600 solar radii, it is the largest known star and also one of the most luminous known. It is located about 1.5 kiloparsecs (4.6×1016 km) or about 4,900 light years away from Earth. Unlike most stars, which occur in either binary or multiple star systems, VY CMa is a single star (i.e. does not have any stellar companions). It is categorized as a semiregular variable and has an estimated period of 6,275,081 days[4], or just under 17,200 years.
largest star known to man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM0blsuCjlA&feature=fvw#normal)
Stars and Planets Scale- From Pluto to VY Canis Majoris (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RfPT5c9zAk&feature=related#normal)
University of Minnesota professor Roberta M. Humphreys[13] estimates the radius of VY CMa at 1,800 to 2,100 solar radii.[8] To illustrate, if Earth's Sun were replaced by VY Canis Majoris, its diameter might extend to the orbit of Saturn. Assuming the upper size limit of 2100 solar radii, light would take more than 8 hours to travel around the star's circumference, compared to 14.5 seconds for the sun. It would take over 7,000,000,000,000,000 (7 quadrillion) Earths to fill the volume of VY Canis Majoris. [14]
[edit]Putting the Size in Perspective
If the Earth were to be represented by a sphere one centimeter in diameter, the Sun would be represented as a sphere with a diameter of one hundred and nine centimeters, at a distance of one hundred and seventeen meters. At these scales, VY Canis Majoris would have a diameter of approximately 2.25 kilometers.
Raste "drveće" na Marsu? :|
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flh4.ggpht.com%2F_dPeotyuHVO0%2FS1NRdA_sBlI%2FAAAAAAAAAPY%2FA7cePKDBxbo%2Fs1152%2Fmars.jpg&hash=f74cc8954df5414c60d2cf8b61af16b06a85d1dc)
Satelit NASA-e poslao je šokantne fotografije sa Marsa. Na njima se vide detalji koji su vrlo slični drveću koje izviruje iz peščanih dina Crvene planete.
"Zimzeleno drveće" zapravo su samo tragovi peska koji pomeraju snažni vetrovi. Ti prizori, slični idiličnim zimskim pejzažima na Zemlji, zapravo su optička varka, zvanično je saopštila svemirska agencija.
Na fotografijama su, tvrde američki naučnici, peščane dine prekrivene tankim slojem zamrznutog ugljen-dioksida, ili suvog leda, oko 400 kilometara od Marsovog severnog pola.
Fotografije i saopštenja američke svemirske agencije su, međutum, uznemirile duhove. Na astronomskim forumima širom planete, zaljubljenici u zvezde tvrde da je nelogično da vetar stvara ovakav reljef ako je, kao što kažu u američkoj svemirskoj agenciji, površina Crvene planete prekrivena tankim slojem leda. Skeptici dodaju da je "očigledno kako NASA dozira informacije".
- Najpre je rečeno kako nema ni vode ni leda da bi sada videli da se pojavljuju jezera o kojima ranije nije bilo ni slova. Naposletku, imamo prizore klasične biosfere koji su identični šumama na Zemlji. Svima se nameće pitanje..."šta je sledeće?". Odgovor već sada može da se nasluti - kaže za "Astronomy research" Ričard Mekmilan, iz Centra za razvoj astronomije u Dalasu.