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Credit: B. Freytag,
(Institute
for Astronomy and Space Physics, Univ. Uppsala)
Explanation:
Looking for that perfect holiday gift for an astronomer?
Consider this "star in a box".
Of course, the box is actually a computational box consisting
of a three dimensional grid of points, and the star
is a virtual one whose
physical
properties and internal
dynamics
are numerically simulated at the points on the grid.
While computers and software capable of a totally realistic numerical
simulation of a complete star don't presently exist,
researchers have been making progress.
This picture is
a movie frame from a recent
numerical simulation of a
supergiant star with
properties intended to approximate the real star
Betelgeuse.
The single frame shows large convection cells and bright
spots mottling the virtual supergiant's surface.
Simulation movies
show these surface features changing
substantially with time.
Encouragingly,
telescopic
observations indicate that the
surface of Betelgeuse does indeed have prominent large scale
features and the
well-known star's
brightness variations are detectable with the unaided eye.
The real supergiant
Betelgeuse is some 2,500 degrees
cooler than, and 620 times the size of the Sun.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: simulation - supergiant - convection
Publications with words: simulation - supergiant - convection
See also: