Wide-field view of the sky around VY Canis Majoris

This wide-field view shows the sky around the very brilliant red hypergiant star VY Canis Majoris, one of the largest stars known in the Milky Way. The star itself appears at the centre of the picture, which also includes clouds of glowing red hydrogen gas, dust clouds and the bright star cluster around the bright star Tau Canis Majoris towards the upper right. This picture was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.

Credit:

ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

About the Image

Id:eso1546c
Type:Observation
Release date:25 November 2015, 12:00
Related releases:eso1546
Size:12876 x 12372 px

About the Object

Name:VY Canis Majoris
Type:Milky Way : Star
Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Red Supergiant
Distance:4000 light years
Constellation:Canis Major
Category:Stars

Image Formats

Large JPEG
62.2 MB
Screensize JPEG
673.8 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
471.5 KB
1280x1024
837.7 KB
1600x1200
1.3 MB
1920x1200
1.6 MB
2048x1536
2.2 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):7 22 58.84
Position (Dec):-25° 46' 23.00"
Field of view:216.38 x 207.91 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.1° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
B
Digitized Sky Survey 2
Optical
R
Digitized Sky Survey 2
Infrared
I
Digitized Sky Survey 2