Explanation:
How big is our Sun compared to other stars?
In dramatic and
popular videos featured on
YouTube,
the relative sizes of planets, stars, and even the universe
are shown from smallest to largest.
The featured
video begins with
Earth's Moon
and progresses through increasingly larger moons and planets in our
Solar System.
Soon, the
Sun is shown
and compared to many of the
brighter stars in our neighborhood of the
Milky Way Galaxy.
Finally, star sizes are shown in comparison with the
Milky Way Galaxy, galaxies across the
observable universe, and speculatively, regions of a
potentially greatermultiverse.
Note that the true sizes of most stars outside of the Sun and
Betelgeuse are not known by direct observation, but rather
inferred by measurements of their perceived
brightness,
temperature, and distance.
Although an inspiring learning tool that is mostly accurate,
APOD
readers are encouraged to complete the learning experience -- and possibly help
make future versions more accurate -- by
pointing
out slight inaccuracies in the video.
