APOD: 2010 January 6 - The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse (original) (raw)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2010 January 6

The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse
Credit: Xavier Haubois (Observatoire de Paris)et al.

Explanation: Betelgeuse really is a big star. If placed at the center of our Solar System it would extend to the orbit of Jupiter. But like all stars except the Sun,Betelgeuse is so distant it usually appears as a single point of light, even in large telescopes. Still, astronomers usinginterferometryat infrared wavelengths can resolve the surface of Betelgeuse andreconstructed thisimage of thered supergiant. The intriguing picture shows two, large, bright, star spots. The spotspotentially represent enormousconvective cells rising from below the supergiant's surface. They are bright because they're hotter than the rest of the surface, but both spots and surface arecooler than the Sun. Also known as Alpha Orionis, Betelgeuse is about 600 light-years away.

Note: An APOD editor will review astronomy images of 2009,
hosted by the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York on Friday, January 8 at the American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

Tomorrow's picture: a small galaxy's tale

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD atNASA /GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.