Workshop: Imaging of Stellar Surfaces

Published: 11 Nov 2017
Images of star surfaces

ESO Headquarters, Garching, Germany, 5–9 March 2018

There have been tremendous recent advances in observational techniques enabling resolution of the surfaces of stars other than the Sun. Current and planned VLTI instruments, SPHERE on the VLT and ALMA, as well as other interferometric facilities, have recently succeeded in resolving stellar surfaces. The workshop aims to bring together observers from different techniques and wavelengths, and theoreticians working on stellar atmospheres and stellar structure.

Presentations will include recent individual results on stellar surface mapping and the corresponding modelling. Observational strategies to advance the field will be discussed. In addition, a dedicated session devoted to the prospect of resolving stellar surfaces of stars other than the Sun with future facilities such as the ELT or JWST, or with an intensity interferometry and CTA, is planned. The aim is a focused workshop with ample time for discussions on recent images of stellar surfaces and atmospheres (out to a few stellar radii), the observational strategies, and the relevant physical processes. The number of participants will be limited to 70.

Further details on the workshop webpage or by email. The abstract deadline is 15 December 2017 and the registration deadline 31 January 2018.

Figure key:

  • Upper left: Red supergiant Antares with VLTI-AMBER (Ohnaka et al. 2017)
  • Upper right: Red supergiant Betelgeuse with ALMA (O'Gorman et al. 2017)
  • Lower left: Sunspot observed with ALMA Band 6
  • Lower right: Carbon star R Scl with VLTI-PIONIER (Wittkowski et al. 2017)