blue giant

noun

astronomy

: a bluish star that has a high surface temperature and a diameter that is large relative to the sun

Later, just a few thousand years before the supernova explosion, the red giant apparently lost some of its girth, forming a blue giant, which emits a faster, lower density wind.—

Ron Cowen, Science News, 6 Mar. 1993

Note: Blue giant is not a technical term and can be applied to a number of different types of stars, as long as they are large and hot enough to appear blue in the night sky.

compare red giant

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of blue giant was in 1922

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Blue giant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue%20giant. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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