The Antares Star is larger than the Sun, reveals a new map of the atmosphere

A new study conducted by a team of international scientists has found that the Antares star is much larger than its earlier prediction. As per reports, the star can even fit Saturn’s orbit inside it. A team of astronomers has designed a detailed map of the atmosphere which depicts the red supergiant star Antares. According to research, the size of the star shall depend on the wavelength of light it is observed with. The new study of the Antares star was published in the Journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

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Previous research of the Antares star predicted that the Antares star was about 700 times larger than the sun. However, the research also concluded that proportion to the sun was subject to change when mapped in a different spectrum. Further, as per studies, the Antares star is regarded as the largest star in the universe, in terms of volume. The Antares star is also the 15th brightest star in the night sky and the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius.

The Antares Star; explained

The Antares star is a Red Supergiant star. These stars are quite large and remain cool until the end of their lifetime. As per studies, these stars may soon run out of fuel and even collapse. By utilizing their stellar winds, these stars are capable of launching heavy elements into space. Such phenomena also work towards providing a building block of life in the universe.

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Recent Study

In order to the study Antares’ atmosphere, the team of astronomers utilized the readings of Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimeter (ALMA)/ submillimeter Array. While the ALMA map helped to observe shorter wavelengths close to the surface of Antares, the VLA map helped to observe longer wavelengths, farther from the star’s atmosphere. These readings helped to design the most detailed map of Stars, besides the Sun. The recent study also revealed that the Antares’ chromosphere was much cooler as compared to the chromosphere of the sun. The study also helped to find the origination point of the winds.

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Chris Carilli of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory gave a statement to a media portal whereby he mentioned that the National Radio Astronomy Observatory regarded the night sky as points of light. He felt that the map of the Supergiant Antares star was a true testament to technological advances in interferometry. He also said that the observations would help man to be closer to the universe.

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