Regarded as the 'heart' of the Scorpio constellation, Antares shines as the 15th brightest star in our celestial sphere. This radiant red beauty displays variable magnitudes ranging between 0.92 and 1.06, reaching its zenith on the night of May 30th every year.
Positioned approximately 600 light-years away from our solar system, Antares, a red supergiant, exhibits a surface temperature of about 3600 K. This is significantly cooler compared to our Sun's outer part, which boasts a temperature of 5800 K.
Astrologers speculate that Antares could be one of the largest stars known to mankind. It's estimated to have a radius between 822 and 883 solar radii, making it nearly eight times the size of our solar system. If it were to replace the Sun, all planets up to Jupiter would be enveloped within it, leaving only Saturn and beyond untouched.
Recent research utilizing advanced equipment such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile and the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico has revealed fascinating insights into Antares. These tools enabled the production of a detailed radio map of Antares' atmosphere, indicating the star's chromosphere extends 2.5 times its radius, much larger than previously thought.
Lead researcher Eamon O'Gorman explained that a star's size can greatly depend on the wavelength of light it's observed with. The longer wavelengths used by VLA unveiled that the supergiant's atmosphere extends up to almost 12 times the star's radius. These findings help to build a more comprehensive understanding of Antares and its awe-inspiring scale within the cosmos.
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