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Astrophysics

A whirling dervish

Nature volume 440, pages 873–874 (2006)Cite this article

Vega is a fundamental reference star for astronomers. But it seems that our perceptions of it have been misconceived — rather than spinning slowly, the star is a rapid rotator seen pole-on.

On page 896 of this issue, Peterson et al.1 present measurements that convincingly show that Vega — the second brightest star in the northern night sky — is not turning un-hurriedly as had been assumed, but rotating at a speed near to that at which it would fly apart. Confirming this behaviour required cutting-edge technology, as Vega's rotational axis is pointing almost directly at Earth. The discovery would seem to demand a rethink of some established ideas — among them, our notions of the distribution of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum of astronomical objects, and perhaps even of the time required for planets to form around stars.

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Figure 1: Doppler broadening.

References

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  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Appalachian State University, Boone, 28608, North Carolina, USA

    Richard Gray

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  1. Richard Gray
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Gray, R. A whirling dervish. Nature 440, 873–874 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/440873a

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