UY Scuti
DSS2 image of red supergiant star UY Scuti (brightest star in the image), surrounded by a dense starfield | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Scutum |
| Right ascension | 18h 27m 36.5334s |
| Declination | −12° 27′ 58.866″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.29 - 10.56 |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | Red supergiant |
| Spectral type | M2-M4Ia-Iab |
| U−B color index | +3.29 |
| B−V color index | +3.00 |
| Variable type | SRc |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 18.33±0.82 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: 1.3 mas/yr Dec.: −1.6 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 0.5166±0.0494 mas |
| Distance | 5,871+534 −446 ly (1,800+164 −137 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −6.2 |
| Details | |
| Radius | 909 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 124,000 L☉ |
| Temperature | 3,550 K |
| Other designations | |
| UY Sct, BD−12°5055, IRC −10422, RAFGL 2162, HV 3805 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
UY Scuti (BD-12°5055) is a red supergiant star, located 5,900 light-years away in the constellation Scutum. It is also a pulsating variable star, with a maximum brightness of magnitude 8.29 and a minimum of magnitude 10.56, which makes it too dim for naked-eye visibility. It is considered to be one of the largest known stars, with a radius estimated at 909 solar radii (632 million kilometres; 4.23 astronomical units), thus a volume of 750 million times that of the Sun. This estimate implies if it were placed at the center of the Solar System, its photosphere would extend past the orbit of Mars or even the asteroid belt.