Sharpest Views Of Star Betelgeuse Reveal How Supergiant Stars Lose Mass
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 - 07:21
in Astronomy & Space
Using different state-of-the-art techniques on ESO's Very Large Telescope, two independent teams of astronomers have obtained the sharpest ever views of the supergiant star Betelgeuse. They show that the star has a vast plume of gas almost as large as our Solar System and a gigantic bubble boiling on its surface. These discoveries provide important clues to help explain how these mammoths shed material at such a tremendous rate.