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> Hypergiant star HR 5171

Hypergiant star HR 5171

author: ESO/Novapix

reference: a-eto02-00081

Image Size 300 DPI: 33 * 22 cm

This artist’s impression shows the yellow hypergiant star HR 5171. This is a very rare type of star with only a dozen known in our galaxy. Its size is over 1300 times that of our Sun — one of the largest ten stars found so far. Observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer have shown that it is actually a double star, with the companion in contact with the main star.

Keywords for this photo:

2014 - ASTRONOMY - BINARY STAR - CENTAURUS - CONTACT BINARY - DOUBLE STAR - HR 5171 - HYPERGIANT - ILLUSTRATION - MASSIVE STAR - STAR -