Betelgeuse captured by ALMA

This orange blob shows the nearby star Betelgeuse, as 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.

Betelgeuse is one of the largest stars currently known — with a radius around 1400 times larger than the Sun’s in the millimeter continuum. About 600 light-years away in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter), the red supergiant burns brightly, causing it to have only a short life expectancy. The star is just about eight million years old, but is already on the verge of becoming a supernova. When that happens, the resulting explosion will be visible from Earth, even in broad daylight.

The star has been observed in many other wavelengths, particularly in the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope astronomers discovered a vast plume of gas almost as large as our Solar System. Astronomers have also found a gigantic bubble that boils away on Betelgeuse’s surface. These features help to explain how the star is shedding gas and dust at tremendous rates (eso0927, eso1121). In this picture, ALMA observes the hot gas of the lower chromosphere of Betelgeuse at sub-millimeter wavelengths — where localised increased temperatures explain why it is not symmetric. Scientifically, ALMA can help us to understand the extended atmospheres of these hot, blazing stars.

Links:

Credit:

ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/E. O’Gorman/P. Kervella

About the Image

Id:potw1726a
Type:Observation
Release date:26 June 2017, 06:00
Size:4000 x 4000 px

About the Object

Name:Betelgeuse
Type:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Red Supergiant
Distance:600 light years
Constellation:Orion
Category:Stars

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Coordinates

Position (RA):5 55 10.31
Position (Dec):7° 24' 25.43"
Field of view:0.02 x 0.02 arcminutes
Orientation:North is -0.0° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Millimeter
338 GHz
890 μmAtacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
Band 7