Betelgeuse imaged

[Ponder]

I saw this linked from /.

Astronomers have managed to image gas plumes from the surface of Betelgeuse, a relatively nearby super-giant star.

When I saw that picture at the top of the article, I thought WOW, that detail is amazing! But then the game is given away in the fine print below the pic; that's just an artist conception of what it might look like close-up. The pic further down is what they really imaged. Considering how far away that star really is, the real pic is still impressive.

Here's a bigger version of the real image on the APOD site.

*** Ponder

[wiseowl]

That artist's impression is really amazing. I would have taken it for a real picture, too!