Like the Sun, Rho Cassiopeia is a class G2 star. That means their surface temperature is the same, so they both look yellow. But that’s just about the only thing they have in common. Rho Cass is one of the most impressive stars in the galaxy. And it faces a much more dramatic fate than the Sun does.

Rho Cass is a yellow hypergiant. If it took the Sun’s place in our own solar system, it would engulf the four innermost planets, including Earth. It’s about 40 times more massive than the Sun, and hundreds of thousands of times brighter. So even though it’s more than 8,000 light-years away, it’s visible to the eye alone – one of the most-distant stars we can see without help.

Rho Cass is nearing the end of its life. That’s made it unstable, so its outer layers puff in and out. The star produces a massive eruption every 50 years or so, and smaller outbursts every 20 years or so. During the last one, Rho Cass blew out enough material to make about 10,000 Earths.

And it may be building up to a huge outburst – a supernova. That would blast away its outer layers, with its dead core collapsing to form a black hole. On the other hand, Rho Cass might be massive enough for the entire star to become a black hole – and vanish from sight.

For now, though, it’s in good view. It’s high in the north at nightfall, to the upper left of the letter M or W outlined by Cassiopeia.

Script by Damond Benningfield