the.com/supergiant
A star that lived fast, burns bright, and dies loud enough to outshine its galaxy.
means One of the most massive and luminous types of star, so large that if placed in our solar system it could engulf the orbits of the inner planets and beyond.
from Straightforward astronomical coinage from the 20th century, built the same way 'supermarket' or 'superhero' was: 'super-' (Latin for 'above, beyond') bolted onto 'giant,' which itself traces back to the Greek Gigantes, the monstrous earth-born race who warred with the Olympian gods. Astronomers already had 'giant stars' classified by size and brightness; when they found stars dwarfing even those, 'supergiant' was the obvious next rung on the ladder.
- size
- Betelgeuse would swallow Jupiter's orbit whole
- lifespan
- burns through fuel in millions, not billions, of years
- fate
- most end as supernovae or black holes
- density
- huge volume, surprisingly low average density