VY Ursae Majoris: A Beautiful Carbon Star in Ursa Major

VY Ursae Majoris (VY UMa) is a red hypergiant star located in the constellation of Ursa Major, best viewed in springtime.

Did you know this scarlet star is referred to as a carbon star? This is because its atmosphere has a higher concentration of carbon than oxygen, resulting in the beautiful red color we see. It glows beautifully in binoculars to telescopes as it shines down on us from more than 1200 light-years away.

My Observations

I’ve seen other carbon stars that almost look like cherry red. VY Ursae Majoris, however, appears to have more orange in it. Regardless, it’s a strikingly lovely star in the scope tonight.

Key Stats

Constellation	Ursa Major
Best Viewing	Spring
Visual Magnitude	+5.98
Absolute Visual Magnitude	-1.92
Distance from Earth	1200 ly
Milky Way Location	Orion Spur
My Viewing Grade	A
Designations	VY UMa, SAO 15274, HD 92839, HR 4195, HIP 52577

Sources and Notes

The banner with a red star is based on an image in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. View source file.

Sketch by Wayne McGraw