Imaging the Surface of Altair

2007/06/01 by John D. Monnier, M. Zhao, Ming Zhao +23 · 5 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1143205

24 pages. to appear in Science. includes Report and Supplemental Online Materials. Accompanying animation can be found at http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/~monnier/Altair2007/altair2007.html

openalex publication_date 2007/06/01 · arxiv created 2007/06/07 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

Spatially resolving the surfaces of nearby stars promises to advance our knowledge of stellar physics. Using optical long-baseline interferometry, we constructed a near-infrared image of the rapidly rotating hot star Altair with a resolution of <1 milliarcsecond. The image clearly reveals the strong effect of gravity darkening on the highly distorted stellar photosphere. Standard models for a uniformly rotating star cannot explain our findings, which appear to result from differential rotation, alternative gravity-darkening laws, or both.

Citations

• Asymmetric Surface Brightness Distribution of Altair Observed with the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer
• Mass and Angular Momentum Transfer in the Massive Algol Binary RY Persei
• Altair’s Oblateness and Rotation Velocity from Long‐Baseline Interferometry
• First Results from the CHARA Array VII: Long-Baseline Interferometric Measurements of Vega Consistent with a Pole-On, Rapidly Rotating Star
• Resolving the Effects of Rotation in Altair with Long‐Baseline Interferometry

Cited by

• Interferometry of chemically peculiar stars: theoretical predictions vs. modern observing facilities
• THE VISUAL ORBIT OF THE 1.1 DAY SPECTROSCOPIC BINARY σ2CORONAE BOREALIS FROM INTERFEROMETRY AT THE CHARA ARRAY
• Physical properties ofβLyrae A and its opaque accretion disk
• First Resolved Images of the Eclipsing and Interacting Binary β Lyrae
• Altair [wikipedia]