P Cygni - One of the Hottest Supergiants in the Galaxy



The cloud around the star P Cygni
Click on image for star map (64K JPEG)
NASA, Hubble Space Telescope
What's in a name
Claim to Fame: One of the brightest distant stars in the galaxy. Remarkable wind blowing off a portion of the outer atmosphere. Losing mass at the rate of 1 solar mass every 10,000 years. Variable star with apparent visual magnitude ranging from 3 to 6 (the eye can see to apparent magnitudes of 5 or 6 on a moonless night).
Type of Star:Rare Blue Supergiant (B1 Iae Spectral Class)
How Far Away: About 6300 light years
How Big: Roughly 76 times the size of the Sun
How Bright:On average, about 750,000 times as luminous as the Sun
Where to View: Located in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan (Star Map).
When to View: Cygnus is best viewed June - November from the northern hemisphere

*REPLACE ME WITH YOUR TITLE*



*REPLACE ME WITH IMAGE DESCRIPTION*
Click on image for full size (*SIZE*)
*REPLACE ME WITH WHERE IMAGE IS FROM*
*REPLACE ME WITH YOUR TEXT*

*REPLACE ME WITH YOUR LINK TEXT*

*REPLACE ME WITH YOUR TITLE*



*REPLACE ME WITH IMAGE DESCRIPTION*
Click on image for full size (*SIZE*)
*REPLACE ME WITH WHERE IMAGE IS FROM*
*REPLACE ME WITH YOUR TEXT*

*REPLACE ME WITH YOUR LINK TEXT*


Last modified January 18, 2006 by Travis Metcalfe.
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer