The largest star in the Milky Way is dying: it became known what it will become after death
Image Credit:christiansciencemonitor
Even though there is ongoing debate among scientists over many of the properties of VY Canis Majoris
they have still developed a model that predicts how the life of what may be the biggest star in the galaxy would end.
At a distance of 3900 light-years from Earth, the red hypergiant VY Canis Major can be found in the constellation Canis Major.
It is one among the Milky Way's biggest and brightest stars. However, astronomers think it might be our galaxy's biggest star
Image Credit:astronomymagazine
Although astronomers disagree on the features of this star, researchers have developed a model of how its life would end
according to ScienceAlert: either by a supernova explosion or by turning into a black hole.
The star VY Canis Majoris, which may be the biggest star in the Milky Way, has been modelled by scientists from the University of Arizona in the United States
A very large star
Although the size of VY Canis Majoris is known to be enormous, no measurements have yet been made
Its diameter is estimated to be somewhere between 10 and 15 astronomical units. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is between 10 and 15
This sphere would travel to a distance that is between Saturn and Uranus' orbits if this star were the centre of our solar system.
For instance, Saturn is 9.5 astronomical units from the Sun, but Uranus is 19 astronomical units away.