Luminosity (bolometric) 176,000-360,000 L☉ | Magnitude 11 Apparent magnitude (V) 11 | |
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KW Sagittarii is a red supergiant, located approximately 2,400 parsecs away from our Sun in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. It has a size of 1,009 R☉ (up to 1,460 R☉ by some estimates), making it one of the largest known stars. If placed at the center of the Solar System, the star's surface would engulf Mars.
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Dani bosco kw sagittarii original mix
Distance
The distance of 2,400 parsecs is based on the assumption of membership on the Sagittarius OB5 association. The parallax derived from the Hipparcos mission is negative so doesn't give much information about the distance except that it is likely to be large.
Characteristics
Levesque calculate that the star has a bolometric luminosity of over 360,000 L☉ and a radius around 1,460 R☉ based on the assumption of an effective temperature of 3,700 K. Marcaide calculate that the star has a bolometric luminosity of less than 200,000 L☉ based on the measured flux and an assumed distance, and a radius around 1,009 ± 142 R☉ based on the measured angular diameter and luminosity. The effective temperature was then derived from the luminosity and radius.