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How big is S Doradus?

S Doradus is 530,000,000 kilometers

Introduction: A Look into the Universe

Ever wondered what’s up there in the vast, dark sky? There are millions of stars, each with their unique characteristics and facts. One such star is the S Doradus, also known as S Dor. This star is an incredible cosmic wonder that outshines many others in the universe, and today we’re going to explore it, with a special focus on its size. Strap in for a journey 160,000 light-years away to the Large Magellanic Cloud, where S Doradus calls home.

What is S Doradus?

S Doradus is a type of star known as a luminous blue variable. It’s one of the brightest stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy that orbits our own Milky Way. Even though it’s incredibly bright, we can’t see S Doradus from Earth with our eyes alone. It’s simply too far away.

The Size of S Doradus: A Cosmic Comparison

One of the most fascinating things about S Doradus is its size. It’s tough to visualize how big a star can be, especially when it’s millions of miles away. So let’s compare it to something we’re all familiar with: our own Sun.

  • The Sun is, on average, about 109 times the diameter of Earth. That’s like stacking 109 Earths side by side. - S Doradus is about 380 times the size of our Sun. That’s like stacking 380 Suns side by side! Imagine how big that is! If S Doradus were in the center of our solar system, it would extend past the orbit of Mars. That’s right, it’s so massive that it could swallow up Mars, Earth, Venus, and even poor little Mercury with room to spare!

S Doradus: A Luminous Giant

As a luminous blue variable star, S Doradus has a brightness that changes over time. Sometimes it’s more than a million times brighter than our Sun! That’s a lot of light, even for a star. But what does a “luminous blue variable” mean? Well, it’s a type of really big, really bright star that changes in brightness over time. These stars are rare and fascinating, making S Doradus even more special.

Conclusion: The Wonders of the Universe

As we journey through the cosmos, we learn more about the wonders of the universe. S Doradus is one of those wonders. It’s a star that’s so big, it makes our Sun look tiny in comparison. It’s a star so bright, it outshines a million suns. Even though we can’t see it from our home on Earth, we know it’s out there, shining brightly in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The universe is full of amazing things, and S Doradus is definitely one of them. So the next time you look up at the night sky, remember: there’s a star out there that’s bigger and brighter than you can imagine. Who knows what other incredible things we’ll discover as we continue to explore the universe?

Smaller By Category
R Doradus
R Doradus is relatively large and is only 200 light-years from Earth, so its apparent size is the second largest in the sky! It is 0.05 arcseconds across. The Sun is the largest, at 1,920 arcseconds - 40,000 times larger.
Enif
Enif is an orange supergiant. Its name means "nose" in Arabic, because in the constellation Pegasus, it is in the position of the muzzle. Coincidentally, the word "Enif" backwards is "Fine".
Deneb
Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation of Cygnus. Deneb is 2,600 light-years away, which makes it the most distant of the 25 brightest stars. If you lived on Mars, Deneb would appear above the North Pole - not Polaris.
Larger By Category
La Superba
La Superba is one of the reddest stars in the night sky. It is so red because of all the carbon-13 it creates when fusing helium. (Normal carbon is carbon-12.) La Superba is only 2700° C, making it one of the coldest stars.
V354 Cephei
V354 Cephei is a red supergiant, and it's huge. If placed in the Solar System, it would extend out to the asteroid belt. 354, in addition to being in this star's name, is also the year Augustine of Hippo was born.
Antares
Antares is a red supergiant very near the ecliptic, so it gets occulted (blocked) by the Moon quite often. Also, Antares weighs septillions of tons and is losing weight through solar wind, but this method is slow. The fast way is to explode, which it'll do later.