These telescopes form a system that combines their data to create a clear image of the source. As reported by Space.com , this allowed for angular resolution, which helped provide new insight into Polaris, the brightest star in the triple star system, which belongs to a class of pulsating Cepheid variables. By studying these images, scientists discovered some previously unknown features of Polaris.
The new data on the North Star came as a surprise to researchers. The star is not new and belongs to the class of Cepheid variables, which have periodic changes in brightness, and it is this predictable behavior that makes them reliable tools for measuring cosmic distances.
Cepheids have brightness cycles, and by observing their changes over a single cycle, their true brightness can be determined. However, without such predictable pulsations, the star would be unreliable for measurements because the fainter star may be distant or small, or the fainter star may be due to other factors. Also, a star may be faint only at a particular time, which may coincide with the time of observation.
Scientists have been able to obtain close-up images of Polaris’ surface for the first time, and have discovered that the star has many large bright and dark spots that change over time. Researchers believe the star’s spots and rotation may be related to a 120-day variation in speed.
Source: Ferra
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