Surface of The Red Giant Star π1 Gruis | ESO

Surface of The Red Giant Star π1 Gruis | ESO

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have directly observed granulation patterns on the surface of a star outside the Solar System—the ageing red giant π1 Gruis. This remarkable new image from the PIONIER instrument reveals the convective cells that make up the surface of this huge star. Each cell covers more than a quarter of the star’s diameter and measures about 120 million kilometers across.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: December 20, 2017

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