Object Analysis

V602 Carinae is a red supergiant star located in the constellation Carina. It is one of the largest known stars, with a radius estimated at over 1,000 times that of the Sun. If placed in our solar system, its surface would extend past the orbit of Jupiter.

The star is extremely luminous, shining with over 100,000 times the brightness of the Sun. Like most red supergiants, it is unstable and varies in brightness. It is shrouded in a large nebula of gas and dust that it has ejected during massive outbursts.

V602 Carinae is in the final stages of its life cycle. Within the next million years, it will exhaust its nuclear fuel and detonate as a Type II supernova. This explosion will be so bright it will be visible in the daytime, leaving behind either a neutron star or a black hole in the heart of the Carina Nebula.