Meet UY Scuti the biggest star in the Universe. Its radius is one thousand seven hundred times bigger than that of the Sun. But to set this record, the star had to sacrifice its brightness. Its luminosity is just three hundred forty thousand units, while the luminosity of the brightest stars is measured in millions of units. People on Earth see UY Scuti this way.
Not so impressive, don’t you think? The biggest star in the Universe shines in our skies no brighter than Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf. And as if it’s not enough already: astronomers have recently found a new giant star that can dethrone UY. In this video, you’ll find out: how many years does it take to become the hottest star in outer space? How fast can you fly around a supermassive black hole? And what do stellar record-breakers have to sacrifice to become the champions of the Universe?
