Since I was a kid, I was always fascinated by things being the biggest of their kind, the biggest gemstone, the biggest man made structure, the biggest planet in our solar system, the biggest insect, so on. Back then there wasn't the wellspring of information we have at ease now, but something about looking into the largest structures in the universe always fills me with a sense of awe just thinking about it.
(http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/54b42ca3eab8ea1d2dc9b87d/crazy-image-shows-how-tiny-earth-is-compared-to-our-sun.jpg)
This is earth as roughly compared to the size of the sun, however, taking that into account, it puts the largest discovered star in comparison, VY canis majoris, at a mass thats just beyond belief.
(https://www.mbandf.com/medias/parallel-world/2013/Stars/_wysiwyg/canis_majoris2100sol.jpg)
obviously this is based on theory, so not an exact science, but a lot of research goes into determining the quantity of mass times distance when observing stars, so I can believe there are stars to this size out their in the universe.
And then we have examples of the largest recorded galaxy, IC 1101.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B03-Ci_CIAI2MGd.jpg)
theres something so majestic about a galaxy that size when compared to ours, but one to massive it no longer produces new stars, like an aging creature floating along in its twilight years.
I thought I read somewhere that nearly our entire galaxy can fit inside of that sun.
Quote from: aitm on June 08, 2017, 08:23:57 PM
I thought I read somewhere that nearly our entire galaxy can fit inside of that sun.
Only out to Jupiter.
It's hard to comprehend that kind of size.
Quote from: SGOS on June 09, 2017, 09:32:38 AM
It's hard to comprehend that kind of size.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ... "It is big, really big"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q
And then there's Laniakea, our home supercluster - the largest coherent structure in the known universe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rENyyRwxpHo
Also, I heard today on science Friday about a new technique for measuring the mass of single stars - using Einstein's general theory of relativity:
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/astronomers-measure-mass-star-thanks-old-tip-einstein
Quote from: aitm on June 08, 2017, 08:23:57 PM
I thought I read somewhere that nearly our entire galaxy can fit inside of that sun.
A star that size is almost so vague at the surface it almost doesn't have one.