A monster version of our sun has been found, the largest known member of the family of yellow stars to which our sun belongs.
The whopper sun emits light in similar wavelengths as our sun but its diameter is over 1300 times larger. That means it would engulf all the planets between Mercury and Jupiter if placed at the centre of our solar system. The star’s size also means it is touching its smaller, companion star (see diagram, below).
Dubbed HR 5171 A, the star is located in the constellation Centaurus around 12,000 light years from Earth.
The two stars orbit each other, forming a binary system. However, though their centres are separated by more than the distance between our sun and Saturn, HR 5171 A is so large that the two are touching, forming a continuous peanut-shaped structure. Guess this star system ain’t big enough for two. Learn more here.