Stephenson 2-18: The Largest Known Star
Stephenson 2-18, also known as St2-18, is currently considered the largest known star in the universe . It is a red supergiant located in the Stephenson 2 supercluster, in the Scutum constellation, approximately 18,900 light-years away from Earth
Size Comparison
**Stephenson 2-18 has an estimated radius of about 2,150 times that of the Sun **
. To put this into perspective, if Stephenson 2-18 replaced the Sun in our solar system, its photosphere would extend beyond the orbit of Saturn. In comparison,** the Sun’s radius is about 109 times that of Earth **
The previous record holders for the largest known star were the red supergiants WOH G64 in the constellation Dorado and UY Scuti in the constellation Scutum . WOH G64 has an estimated radius between 1,540 and 1,730 solar radii, which is considerably smaller than Stephenson 2-18. UY Scuti, which was previously thought to be the largest star, has a radius of about 1,700 times that of the Sun
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