context: VY CMa is a single star with a large infrared (IR) excess, making it one of the brightest objects in the sky at wavelengths of between 5 and 20 microns (µm) and indicating a dust shell or disk heated by the star.[14][15]  It is about 17±8 times the mass of the Sun (M☉). It is also surrounded by a complex asymmetric circumstellar envelope (CSE) caused by mass loss from the star itself. It produces strong molecular maser emission and was one of the first radio masers discovered.  VY CMa is embedded within the large molecular cloud Sharpless 310 (Sh2-310), one of the largest star-forming HII regions with a diameter of 480 arcminutes (') or 681ly (209pc).[16][17]
question: What's the mass of Canis Major?
answers.text: 17±8 times the mass of the Sun 17±8 times the mass of the Sun