Betelgeuse,ALMA image. Betelgeuse,a red supergiant,is one of the largest stars currently known,with a radius around 1400 times larger than the Sun's. Here,it is seen by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This is the first time that ALMA has ever observed the surface of a star and this first attempt has resulted in the highest-resolution image of Betelgeuse available. This supergiant star is about eight million years old and on the verge of becoming a supernova. It has a giant plume of gas almost as large as the solar system,and a massive bubble boiling on its surface. These structures were detected using the ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). This discovery helps to explain how supergiant stars shed material at a tremendous rate. Betelguese is located around 600 light years from Earth,in the constellation of Orion. Image published in 2017. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY / P. Kervella / E. OÃâ€Ãƒâ€¡Ãƒâ€“Gorman / NRAO) / NAOJ / ALMA (ESO |
Taille de l’image : | 4180 px × 4180 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : |
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