The European Southern Observatory JUST
announced new findings related to a star that is so large, it ranks
among the ten largest stars in the known universe. The star in question,
called HR 517S (other names include V766 Cen and HD 119796),
has many notable features. It’s a high-mass variable star and it has a
much smaller partner. Astronomers have known about its small companion
for a while now, but it wasn’t until very recently that they knew just
how much influence this tiny star has on its much larger counterpart.
1300 times larger than the Sun in diameter (and it’s more than a million times more luminous).
Using the ESO’s “Very Large Telescope Interferometer” (VLTI),
a team of international researchers deployed a technique called
interferometry, which essentially makes use of the light collected by
several different telescopes. When combined, astronomers can peer
further through the veil of space and see things in unprecedented
clarity. Such was the case with this star system. The team learned that not only was the tiny partner much closer to the
primary star than expected (giving the system the likeness of a peanut),
but the star is basically providing HR 517S with a seemingly endless
buffet of stellar material. The celestial cannibalism going on in the
system has given HR 517S the juice it needs to power its incredibly
rapid expansion, which has resulted in the star growing to become more
than 1300 times larger than the Sun in diameter (and it’s more than a
million times more luminous).
The system is located approximately 12 000 light-years from Earth in the Centauri constellation
The system is located approximately 12 000 light-years from Earth in the
Centauri constellation. Given how immensely huge it this star is, one
would think it would stick out like a sore thumb. In reality, the star
is hardly perceptible to the naked eye, unless you know exactly what
you’re looking for. This likely won’t change in the years to come,
despite the fact that the star is unstable not long for this universe
(in astronomical terms). Soon, it will reach the end of its life-span,
going out in a spectacular supernova blast. Ultimately, its relative
anonymity is a testament to just how large the universe is. Plus, it reminds us that much is left to still be discovered.
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