R Doradus: Giant Star Bubbling in Dorado Constellation

Astronomers have successfully captured unprecedented images of R Doradus, a red giant star located approximately 180 light years from Earth in the Dorado constellation. The observations were made using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (Alma) telescope during July and August 2023. This groundbreaking research marks the first time that the motion of bubbling gas on a star's surface has been tracked in such detail, revealing giant, hot bubbles that are 75 times the size of the sun. The study highlights the process of energy transfer within stars, where hot gas bubbles rise to the surface, cool down, and then sink back into the star, resembling the behavior of a lava lamp. Lead author Wouter Vlemmings from Chalmers University of Technology expressed surprise at the high quality of the data, which allowed for detailed observations of convection on the stellar surface. R Doradus, with a diameter about 350 times that of the sun, is an ideal candidate for such observations due to its size and proximity. Its mass is comparable to that of the sun, suggesting that it may provide insights into the future state of our own star as it evolves into a red giant in approximately five billion years. The findings were published in the Nature journal, contributing significantly to our understanding of stellar behavior and the life cycle of stars. This research not only enhances our knowledge of R Doradus but also offers a glimpse into the eventual fate of our sun, enriching the field of astrophysics.