KW Sagittarii facts for kids
KW Sagittarii is a really, really big star! It's found in the Sagittarius constellation, which is a group of stars that looks like an archer in the night sky. KW Sagittarii is known as a red giant star, and it's an amazing 1,009 times bigger than our own Sun. Imagine how huge that is!
Contents
What is a Red Giant Star?
A red giant is a very old star that has grown much larger than it used to be. Stars like our Sun will become red giants one day. When a star runs out of hydrogen fuel in its core, it starts to swell up. It becomes cooler on the outside, which makes it look red. KW Sagittarii is one of these huge, cool, red stars.
Where is KW Sagittarii?
KW Sagittarii is located in the Sagittarius constellation. This constellation is easy to spot in the night sky. It looks like a teapot or an archer. Sagittarius is also where the center of our Milky Way galaxy is found!
How Big is KW Sagittarii?
This star is truly enormous! KW Sagittarii is about 1,009 times wider than our Sun. If KW Sagittarii were in the place of our Sun, its outer layers would reach far beyond the orbit of Mars. It might even reach past Jupiter! This makes it one of the largest stars we know about.
Is KW Sagittarii a Variable Star?
Yes, KW Sagittarii is a type of star called a variable star. This means its brightness changes over time. It doesn't stay the same brightness all the time. Scientists study these changes to learn more about how stars work and what happens inside them.
Images for kids
-
AAVSO light curve of KW Sgr from 1 January 1990 to 24 November 2010. This graph shows how the star's brightness changed over many years. Up means brighter, and down means fainter.
