Key facts
- Category
- Stars
- Object class
- Extreme red supergiant star
- Composition
- Hydrogen and helium
- Scale fact
- 1.6 billion kmdiameter
- Estimated age
- ~10–20 million years
- Temperature
- ~4,000 K surface
Stephenson 2 DFK 49
1.6 billion kmdiameter
Visual creditscaleofspace.org / CC BY-NC 4.0
Details
Stephenson 2 DFK 49 is an extreme red supergiant whose quoted size remains highly uncertain because its outer layers are diffuse and difficult to define. Even so, plausible estimates make it so enormous that its photosphere could approach or even engulf Jupiter’s orbit if placed at the center of the Solar System.
Stephenson 2 DFK 49 is an extreme red supergiant with strong infrared emission and evidence of heavy mass loss. Infrared images also show a bow-shaped structure where material associated with the star interacts with its surroundings.
Its quoted 1.6-billion-kilometer diameter depends on an uncertain distance, temperature and definition of the photosphere. The diffuse atmosphere and surrounding dust make the record an estimate, not a precise outer edge.
Links
- Editorial guides
- Wikipedia
- Stephenson 2 DFK 49 on Wikipedia
- Universe journey
- Solar neighborhood
Size neighbors
Objects near Stephenson 2 DFK 49 on the scale
On the logarithmic size axis, Stephenson 2 DFK 49 falls between Betelgeuse and VY Canis Majoris. The band uses nearby Stars records.
Shared physical scale
2.29billion km
Sources
References for Stephenson 2 DFK 49
Measurements and descriptive context are compiled by the Scale of Space team from the references below. If you find an error, please let us know.
- Stephenson 2 DFK 49 — Wikipedia
- Visual: scaleofspace.org / CC BY-NC 4.0
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About
Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.
Guides explain selected parts of that range, while focused views filter the objects by subject.