أكبر نجم في مجرة درب التبانة بيستول عملاق ساطع ومجهول الأصول

في قلب مجرة درب التبانة، يوجد نجم يُطلق عليه اسم “بيستول”، وهو واحد من أكثر النجوم إبهارًا وتحديًا لفهم علماء الفلك. despite being located at a distance of approximately one thousand light years from Earth, this giant star holds secrets that have captivated researchers for decades. Despite its size and brightness – with mass estimated to be over hundred times greater than our Sun’s and luminosity exceeding the solar luminosity by millions of times – direct observation remains elusive due to thick dust clouds obscuring it from view. The discovery process was gradual; first spotted within the famous Pistol Nebula in 1990, then estimates about its massive weight emerged five years later, suggesting connections to related nebulas. Finally, confirmation came through collaborative efforts involving the Hubble Space Telescope in 1997. However, understanding how such behemoths form is still an ongoing mystery.

Alongside Betelgeuse and VVV-WIT-08, other large stars are also part of our galaxy’s stellar landscape, each boasting impressive sizes relative to our sun. These include Antares (with a radius nearly twenty-one hundred times larger), Rigel (approaching one thousand lightyears across), and VV-WIT-08 itself (at six thousand lightyears wide). Accurately measuring these celestial bodies requires precise calculations based on factors like thermal emission, visible glow