What is the Biggest Star?

To ponder on what is the biggest star known to man, there may be several answers that may come up. However, according to studies, one of the more commonly known stars that we can categorize as really large in size is the Pistol Star.

The Pistol Star may be the closest answer to the question, “What is the biggest star?” Its size is really massive according to reports. Basically, this is believed to be around a hundred times as big when we would compare it to the sun’s size.

Not only is the Pistol Star so much larger than the sun in our solar system, it is also said to be many times brighter, too.

It was in the year 1990 when it was known that this star is located at the middle of the Pistol Nebula in our galaxy. A few years after that, particularly around 1995, there were some who studied the galaxy who said that this large-sized star was actually throwing the mass of Pistol Nebula.

Although this is about twenty five thousand light-years further from the earth, the Pistol Star can still be seen.

More studies and observations were made through the years. And in 1997, with the use of the Hubble Space Telescope, the relationship of the Pistol Star and the Pistol Nebula was confirmed.

Other observations of this particular star in the Milky Way include the following:

One: There is so much power.

From the observations done by astronomers, it was seen that this star actually has a lot of power. It is so powerful that it can blow off around two false-colored magenta or gas shells which are expanding in size.

Two: The shells being blown off stretch its size.

Among the two shells being blown off by the Pistol Star, the biggest is said to be so large that it can actually stretch itself from the sun up to the next star in line. The process of blowing off the shells of gas is believed to be about four thousand and six thousand years old.

Three: The size of the Pistol Star is not entirely damaged by the outburst.

Even though there are gasses being ejected from the star, astronomers who observe the behavior of the Pistol Star says that this star still carries about a hundred times of the mass of the sun.

Other large-sized stars in the galaxy include: The VY Canus Majoris with a size about six hundred and two thousand one hundred times of the sun’s size; and the Eta Carinae which has around eight hundred times in size compared to the sun.

So while others may think that the Eta Carinae is the largest, astronomers may say otherwise. Yes, it is large. But still, the Pistol Star is believed by astronomers to answer the question on what is the biggest star known to reside in our galaxy.