Diagram comparing the Sun with other seven types of stars, larger and smaller. At the top, in the inset, the Sun is seen compared in size to the red d

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Diagram comparing the Sun with other seven types of stars, larger and smaller. At the top, in the inset, the Sun is seen compared in size to the red dwarf Proxima Centauri ( solar radii), and the white dwarf Sirius B ( solar radii). Red dwarves such as Proxima are the most common stars in existence - so the sun is far larger than the typical star. Zooming out, we can see how puny the Sun is compared to much bigger stars. There is the subgiant Procyon (2 solar radii), the orange giant Arcturus ( solar radii), the blue giant Rigel (80 solar radii), the red giant Antares (883 solar radii) and, lastly, UY Scuti. The latter is the current contender for the largest known stars, a red hypergiant some 1700 times the diameter of the Sun.

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Size: 4632px × 6378px
Photo credit: © MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, antares, arcturus, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysics, blue, centauri, compared, diameter, dwarf, giant, hypergiant, procyon, proxima, radius, red, rigel, schematic, scuti, sirius, size, star, stars, sun, uy, white