Probing the Stars (IMAGE)
Caption
Using data captured by the French-led Convection Rotation and planetary Transits (CoRoT) satellite, scientists have successfully probed a distant star, using a technique called stellar seismology to monitor the star's acoustic fluctuations. They detected "starspots," areas of intense magnetic activity on the surface that are similar to sunspots. While scientists had previously observed these magnetic cycles in other stars, this was the first time they discovered such a cycle using stellar seismology.
Credit
Image courtesy of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canaries (IAC).
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