Top 10 largest stars in the Milky Way

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, oh I wonder how big you are...

Published: July 27, 2017 at 1:00 pm

10. Antares

Size: 883 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 550 light-years

9. Betelgeuse

Size: 887 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 643 light-years

8. KW Sagittarii

Size: 1,009 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 7,800 light-years

7. VV Cephei A

Size: 1,050 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 4,900 light-years

6. Mu Cephei

Size: 1,260 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 6,000 light-years

5. KY Cygni

Size: 1,420- 2,850 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 5,000 light-years

4. V354 Cephei

Size: 1,520 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 9,000 light-years

3. RW Cephei

Size: 1,535 x Sun

Distance from Earth: 3,500 light-years

2. VY Canis Majoris

Size: 1,420 x Sun (so massive that its light takes eight hours to travel around its own equator)

Distance from Earth: 3,900 light-years

1. UY Scuti

Size: around 1,700 x Sun, according to the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics (That's 1.1883 billion kilometres). However, other estimates vary.

Distance from Earth: 5,219 light-years

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