Patrick Mylund Nielsen

The Sun Compared to Other Stars

23 Jul 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.