Object Analysis

UY Scuti is a red supergiant star in the constellation Scutum. It is considered one of the largest known stars by radius and is also a pulsating variable star. It is located roughly 5,100 light-years away from Earth.

If UY Scuti were placed at the center of the Solar System, its photosphere would extend beyond the orbit of Jupiter and possibly as far as Saturn. With a radius estimated at 1,700 times that of the Sun, it is a truly gargantuan object, though it is not the most massive; it is incredibly diffuse and relatively cool at its surface.

The star is obscured by heavy dust and gas that it has ejected over time. Because it is so bloated and unstable, it is in the final stages of its life. Astronomers expect UY Scuti to end its existence in a spectacular Type IIb supernova explosion within the next few million years.