This star is so big our Sun will look like a dot in front of it

In a groundbreaking achievement, astronomers have obtained the first detailed image of a star outside our galaxy, capturing a pivotal moment in its life cycle.
The star, known as WOH G64, is located an astonishing 1,60,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), researchers led by Keiichi Ohnaka from Universidad Andres Bello in Chile have revealed unprecedented details of this distant celestial body.

Image of the star WOH G64 taken by the VLTI. (Photo: ESO)

The image shows WOH G64, aptly nicknamed the “behemoth star,” expelling gas and dust as it approaches the final stages of its life before becoming a supernova.
The observations uncovered a surprising feature: an egg-shaped cocoon closely enveloping the star.
This unexpected shape has intrigued scientists, who speculate it may be related to the star’s dramatic material ejection process or possibly influenced by an undiscovered companion star.
WOH G64 is classified as a red supergiant, with a size approximately 2,000 times that of our Sun.
The research team, which has been studying this star for nearly two decades, made a startling discovery when comparing their latest observations with previous data. They found that WOH G64 has significantly dimmed over the past decade, providing a rare opportunity to witness stellar evolution in real-time.

Location of the star WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. (Photo: ESO)

This dimming phenomenon, along with the peculiar shape of the surrounding dust cocoon, may be attributed to the star shedding its outer layers – a process typical of red supergiants in their final life stages.
As WOH G64 continues to fade, capturing further detailed images will become increasingly challenging, even for advanced instruments like the VLTI.
The groundbreaking image was made possible by GRAVITY, a second-generation instrument at the VLTI capable of combining light from four telescopes. This technological advancement has opened new possibilities for observing distant stars with unprecedented clarity.