The universe is huge, or rather infinite. It contains galaxies, celestial bodies of enormous dimensions, small planets, stars, large and small comets, and also our little planet. Everything that exists is located in the universe, including the heaviest objects. The heaviest object found on Earth is the Great Wall of China weighing 52 million tons. Objects in space far exceed the weight of the Great Wall of China. Moreover, objects in space are so heavy that a special unit of weight, solar masses, is used to measure them. Have you ever wondered how much weight the sun, moon or one star? What is the heaviest object in space?
Heaviest objects in the Universe:
1. Galaxies
In fact, the heaviest object in our universe is not the one object, but the entire galaxy. A galaxy is a large cluster of stars, interstellar matter, and dark matter held together by gravity. Huge black holes are believed to be in the middle of each galaxy. There are different types of galaxies: elliptical, spiral, and irregular. There are probably more than 100 million galaxies in the visible universe. Galaxies are so large that their diameter averages 5,000 to 500,000 light years. Our galaxy, Milky Way, is an average-sized galaxy that weighs 1.7 trillion solar masses. It stretches over 100,000 light-years and has approximately 200 trillion stars. But the Milky Way is far from the heaviest object in space.
The biggest known galaxy is IC 1101 which is 50 times larger than our galaxy and approximately 2,000 times more massive. It is so large that it occupies an area of 5.5 million light-years. IC 1101 has a total mass of 2,500 trillion solar masses. To make it easier for you to imagine how big it is, the Milky Way has 200-400 billion stars, but IC 1101 has an estimate of 100 trillion stars.
The Phoenix Cluster central galaxy also stands out for its mass. It stretches for 2.2 million light-years and contains more than 3 trillion stars. It weighs approximately 20 trillion solar masses. Most of the mass is the form of dark matter and its intracluster medium. The Phoenix Cluster is 22 times larger than the Milky Way and is one of the largest known galaxy clusters.
2. Black Holes
A black hole is a space object whose gravity is so strong that light cannot leave it and therefore cannot be seen. To detect a black hole, its impact on stars and interstellar matter is studied. There are four types of black holes: stellar, intermediate, miniature and supermassive black holes.
Supermassive black holes can have a mass equal to billions of suns. They are located in the centers of galaxies. We have a black hole in the Milky Way too. Sagittarius A is a supermassive black hole located in the center of The Milky Way that is more than four million times as massive as our sun. Sagittarius A weighs 4.1 million solar masses.
The most massive black hole ever found is TON 618. From the size of the broad line region and the speed of orbiting, the law of gravity reveals that TON 618 weighs 66 trillion solar masses. It is so big that it falls into the new category of ultramassive black holes.
After it, the place is taken by the massive black hole located in the galaxy cluster Abell 85, which is the size of our solar system and weighs 40 trillion solar masses.
3. Neutron Stars
The neutron is a star about 12 km in diameter and about four to eight times as massive as the sun. Its density is comparable to the density of an atomic nucleus. Neutron stars are decaying nuclei of once massive stars that are compressed to extreme densities. The nucleus bursts under pressure and the star disintegrates with supernova explosions.
To make it simple, neutron stars are formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses. This collapse leaves behind the most dense object in the universe that has a mass bigger than the sun but in the size of a city. They are not as dense as a black hole, but they are denser than any other known type of star. Just one tablespoon of neural star material weighs more than 900 billion kilograms, which is heavier than Mount Everest itself, the highest mountain on Earth.
The composition of their nucleus is unknown, but it may consist of a neutron superfluid or some other unknown substance. On average, gravity on a neutron is 2 billion times stronger than gravity on Earth. A neutron star can spin as fast as 43,000 times per minute but slows down over time.
The most massive neutron star ever measured is called J0740 + 6620. This neutron star is 2.17 times the mass of our Sun which places it near the boundary of the theoretical maximum. J0740 + 6620 has a diameter of about 15 miles. It is 4,600 light-years from Earth.
One of the larger neutron stars is also the PSR J1614-2230, a neutron star with a white dwarf. This neutron star rotates 317 times a second and weighs 1,908 solar masses. When we compare it to a record holder, it seems quite small, but in reality, it is huge.
4. Stars
When we mention the stars our first association is the tiny stars we see in the sky. The stars can actually be huge, even bigger than our Sun, so they occupy a very high fourth place on this list. A star is a cosmic body that, during its development, releases energy through nuclear reactions and radiates into the surrounding space.
Blue stars are the biggest type of stars that are quite rare with spectral types of either O or B. They have luminosities around 100 to 1 million times that of the Sun. They usually have a mass around 2.5 to 90 times that of the sun and they last about 40 million years. Unfortunately, due to their mass and very high temperature, they have a short lifespan. Their existence often ends in a supernova explosion resolution in either black holes or neutron stars.
The star RMC 136a1 is a star that weigh approximately 265 solar massesThis star is also one of the hottest stars. It belongs to the group of Wolf-Rayet stars which are extremely rare. They are highly luminous objects due to their high temperature, a thousand times brighter than the sun.
R136C is a star located in the constellation R136. The star weighs 230 solar masses, which is why it ranks second among the heaviest stars. It also belongs to the group of Wolf Rayet stars. The largest known star is UY Scuti whose radius is approximately 1,700 times larger than the radius of the sun. UY Scuti is quite light considering its size and has a mass only 30 times larger than the sun. It is impossible to know how many stars exist in the universe. The Milky Way alone contains an estimated 300 billion stars, but most of them are pretty small, except for the Sun.
5.The Sun
The sun is the star around which the earth revolves, and it is also the center of the solar system. It is part of the Milky Way and is located 26,000 light-years from its center, which takes 230 million years to orbit. The sun is the largest object in our solar system and makes up 99.8% of the total mass of the solar system.
This star was formed 4.65 billion years ago, and today it radiates three times more than it did in the beginning. Although the sun seems huge to us, it is not that big compared to other stars. It belongs to the category of yellow dwarf stars. It is a type of star that belongs to the main sequence star and is located almost in the middle of the spectrum, but still belongs to the smaller stars.
The very name yellow dwarf gives the impression that the sun is yellow, but it is actually white, but it looks yellow, orange or red through the earth’s atmosphere, especially during sunrise or sunset. This type of star will use hydrogen for approximately 10 billion years after which it will deplete its reserves and begin to expand and become a red giant.
The sun has a diameter of 1,392,000 kilometers. Its mass is 1 solar mass, or 1,989 x 10 ^ 30 kilograms which is about 333,000 Earths. The Sun’s core is about 15 million degrees Celsius. In a few million years, the Sun will be 200 times larger than it is today, and with that, of course, its mass will increase.
6. Jupiter
Smaller than the stars are the planets, or space bodies that orbit the star. They are shaped by their own gravity and clean the environment of their orbit from other bodies. However, the planets are not massive enough to become stars. Their mass is at least 100 times smaller than the Sun’s so they cannot have a thermonuclear energy source in the center due to too little gravitational pressure.
Jupiter is the planet with the largest diameter and largest mass in the solar system. Along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, it is a representative of gas giants. Jupiter is a truly interesting planet to observe. It has four Galilean moons, large red spots and atmospheric equatorial belts. Jupiter has the most intense magnetic field of all the planets and is followed by as many as 66 natural satellites.
It is the fifth planet in the series from the Sun and is on average 778 million kilometers away from it. It takes him about 11.86 years to make one trip around the sun. A day on Jupiter lasts an average of 9 hours and 50 minutes, but at the poles, it will last longer because they spin more slowly.
Jupiter is 11 times larger than Earth, so it is not surprising that it has a mass 318 times larger than Earth. Jupiter weighs about 1.9 octillion kilograms. Jupiter makes up 71% of the total planetary mass of the solar system.
7. Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet by distance from the Sun. More precisely, it is about 1.4 trillion kilometers away from it. It is visible to the naked eye from the Earth, which is why it has been known to people for a long time. It has the brightest, most massive and most complex ring system of any planet. It takes Saturn 29.5 years to orbit the Sun, so a year on Mars would take almost 30 Earth’s years. A day on Saturn would last 10.65 hours which is roughly the time it takes him to rotate around its axis, although no one knows what the exact time is.
Saturn’s mass is 95 times that of Earth. About two tons of its mass came from Earth when in 2017 Cassini spacecraft was intentionally vaporized in Saturn’s atmosphere.
Interestingly, it is the only planet whose density is less than the density of water. Interestingly, Saturn is a gas giant planet that does not have a solid surface as Earth does. It is assumed that somewhere in the depths of the planet there is still its surface.
8. Neptune
Neptune is the last planet in the Solar System, furthest from the sun. It is named after the Roman god of the sea because of its beautiful blue color. The planet is mostly made up of rocks and ice, and the blue color of the planet comes from large amounts of methane in its atmosphere. The sun’s rays hardly reach it, so the planet is dark and extremely cold. It is so dark and distant that mathematical calculations, not the observation of the universe, are responsible for its discovery.
Neptune is four times larger than Earth, and 17 times heavier than it. Its atmosphere alone makes up 5 to 10% of the mass. Although it is the fourth largest planet, its mass ranks third. It belongs to a group of planets called ice giants that refers to planets with a smaller size but a higher concentration of easily volatile elements.
The year on Neptune is longer than the lifespan of man and is 164.79 years. On Neptune, you will enjoy all 40 years in summer, winter or other seasons. The day on the moon will last 12 hours at the poles, and at the equator as much as 18 hours. Neptune is truly a wonderful planet that can be talked about for days.
9. Uranus
Neptune’s neighbor Uranus ranked seventh in the solar system. It is 2.9 billion kilometers away from the Sun. Uranus is the first planet to be discovered by a telescope, and it was named after the god of the sky. The planet is a soft blue color, but you will hardly see it with the naked eye even in the best weather conditions.
Uranus is 4 times larger than Earth, and an incredible 14.5 times heavier than it.
Like its neighbor Neptune, it belongs to the group of Ice Giant planets. It has 27 famous moons, and it has as many as 13 famous rings around it. A day on Uranus lasts about 17 hours, while a year lasts about 84 Earth years. It rotates from east to west, rotating on its side. Such a strange rotation leads to a change of seasons in such a way that the North Pole is in winter and darkness for 21 years, then illuminated by daylight for 21 years in summer and for the next 42 years in the North Pole area alternate day and night. Amazing!
10. Earth
And so we came to the end of our list, and at the same time to our planet Earth. Although compared to the Sun and some planets the Earth seems very small, if we compare it to other planets like Mars, the Earth is really big. The sun has 333,000 times more mass than the Earth but Mars has only 11% of the mass of the Earth.
Earth is the third planet from the sun, and it is also the only known planet on which there is oxygen, water on the surface and life. The earth has a diameter of roughly 13,000 kilometers and, despite beliefs, is not completely round, but is slightly flattened at the poles and recessed at the equator. It used to be believed that the Earth was the center around which everything revolved, but then we realized that we are actually quite small in the infinite universe.
The earth weighs 5.9736 x 1024 kg or 6 septillion kilograms. When we compare the size of the planet and its density, Earth has the highest density of all the planets in the Solar System. The average density of the Earth is approximately 5.52 grams per cubic centimetre.
Also, an interesting fact is that Earth besides the moon has two additional asteroids known as co-orbital satellites. They are called 3753 Cruithne and 2002 AA29. They look like they are following Earth’s orbit, but actually, each of them has its own orbit.
Sources:
.https://www.space.com/22180-neutron-stars.html
https://www.labnews.co.uk/article/2030040/new-record-for-largest-neutron-star
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve