Figure 17-16: R I V U X G
Supergiant Betelgeuse Betelgeuse is just close enough and big enough that its surface features can be reconstructed using special techniques (interferometry at infrared wavelengths). The two brighter regions near the center are thought to be hotter gas rising by convection. The size of Betelgeuse is uncertain because its precise distance from Earth is not known, and its radius changes as the star expands and contracts. In this image, the radius is about 5.5 AU—slightly larger than Jupiter’s orbital distance.
Supergiant Betelgeuse Betelgeuse is just close enough and big enough that its surface features can be reconstructed using special techniques (interferometry at infrared wavelengths). The two brighter regions near the center are thought to be hotter gas rising by convection. The size of Betelgeuse is uncertain because its precise distance from Earth is not known, and its radius changes as the star expands and contracts. In this image, the radius is about 5.5 AU—slightly larger than Jupiter’s orbital distance.
(Xavier Haubois [Observatoire de Paris] et al.)