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May 31, 2007: For the first time ever, a sunlike "main sequence" star has been imaged. The CHARA Array, using the Michigan Infrared Beam Combiner, has produced an image of the star Altair whose rapid rotation causes it to expand at its equator and shrink at its poles. This image shows that distortion as well as the resulting heating of the stars with increasing latitude.
Georgia State University Press Release
National Science Foundation Press Release
with the two illustrations in JPEG format at:
CHARA Resolution Analogy Credit Line: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation.
CHARA Layout on Mount Wilson, CA Credit Line: Georgia State University.
January 9, 2007: The CHARA Array has been used to, for the first time, directly determine the diameter of an extrasolar planet. The planet circles the star HD 189733 every 2.2 days. The press release can be found here.
with the two illustrations in JPEG format at:
Figure1
Figure2
January 12, 2006: Two results based on observations with the CHARA Array attracted attention at the Washington, DC meeting of the American Astronomical Society this week. The first of these is a study of the pole-on rapid rotator Vega carried out by Dr. Jason Aufdenberg, a Michelson Post-doctoral Fellow at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. The second of these results from measurements of the diameters of low-mass M dwarf stars by Dr. David Berger, who received his PhD at Georgia State and is now a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. Reports of these efforts can be found at:
"Vega Mystery Solved: Red Dwarf Mystery Grows" by Robert Naeye (Sky and Telescope)
"Rapid Rotation Distorts Bright Star Vega" by Ker Than (Space.Com)
The NOAO press release for the Vega work is at:
"Rapid Spinning Star Vega has Cool Dark Equator" by Doug Isbell (NOAO Office of Public Affairs and Educational Outreach)
February 1, 2005: CHARA's first refereed scientific result, dealing with the oblateness and gravity darkening of the rapidly rotating star Regulus was published in July 20, 2005 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. The press release issued by the National Science Foundation is here. News articles resulting from these releases subsequently appeared in many locations, and links are provided here to two especially nice articles: "The Lion's Pumbkiin Shaped Heart" by Ken Croswell (Astronomy.com), then link to January 2005 news. "Leo's Bright Star Regulus Flies Like Bullet" by Tariq Malik (Space.com).
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