The Sun Compared to Other Stars

July 23, 2010

In this picture (click for full size), the Sun, which is 109 times larger than the Earth, represents only a single pixel. Think about that for a second. Now consider that the largest star shown, VY Canis Majoris, isn’t even the most massive we know of; that title belongs to R136a1, a star that shines 10 million times brighter than the Sun and has a surface temperature of roughly 40,000 degrees celsius. Incomprehensible.

I wonder what these celestial monstrosities would be to those of our ancestors who thought a god of our little pixel.