KY Cygni
Encyclopedia
KY Cygni is a red supergiant
star (spectral class M3.5Ia) located in the constellation
Cygnus
. It is one of the largest stars known, at about 1,420 or more times the Sun
's diameter, and is also one of the most luminous, with about 300,000 or more times the Sun's luminosity
. It is approximately 5,000 light-years away.
Red supergiant
Red supergiants are supergiant stars of spectral type K or M. They are the largest stars in the universe in terms of volume, although they are not the most massive...
star (spectral class M3.5Ia) located in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Cygnus
Cygnus (constellation)
Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...
. It is one of the largest stars known, at about 1,420 or more times the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
's diameter, and is also one of the most luminous, with about 300,000 or more times the Sun's luminosity
Luminosity
Luminosity is a measurement of brightness.-In photometry and color imaging:In photometry, luminosity is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to luminance, which is the density of luminous intensity in a given direction. The SI unit for luminance is candela per square metre.The luminosity function...
. It is approximately 5,000 light-years away.
External links
- http://jumk.de/astronomie/big-stars/ky-cygni.shtml
- http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=2772