Multimedia Gallery
A computer-generated model of Regulus based on CHARA data.
A computer-generated model of Regulus based on CHARA data, with a similar model of the Sun shown to scale. This view shows the model almost equator-on, with its axis tilted 86 degrees from celestial north -- just as Regulus appears in the sky. That makes the axis almost horizontal in this picture, and the equator almost vertical. The star's frenetic spin has distorted it into the shape of a squashed beach ball.
Credit: Wenjin Huang, CHARA, Georgia State University
Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation.
Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.
Also Available:
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (18 KB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
Related story: Portrait of a Star on the Edge