PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Monnier, John D. AU - Zhao, M. AU - Pedretti, E. AU - Thureau, N. AU - Ireland, M. AU - Muirhead, P. AU - Berger, J.-P. AU - Millan-Gabet, R. AU - Van Belle, G. AU - ten Brummelaar, T. AU - McAlister, H. AU - Ridgway, S. AU - Turner, N. AU - Sturmann, L. AU - Sturmann, J. AU - Berger, D. TI - Imaging the Surface of Altair AID - 10.1126/science.1143205 DP - 2007 Jul 20 TA - Science PG - 342--345 VI - 317 IP - 5836 4099 - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/317/5836/342.short 4100 - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/317/5836/342.full SO - Science2007 Jul 20; 317 AB - Spatially resolving the surfaces of nearby stars promises to advance our knowledge of stellar physics. Using optical long-baseline interferometry, we constructed a near-infrared image of the rapidly rotating hot star Altair with a resolution of <1 milliarcsecond. The image clearly reveals the strong effect of gravity darkening on the highly distorted stellar photosphere. Standard models for a uniformly rotating star cannot explain our findings, which appear to result from differential rotation, alternative gravity-darkening laws, or both.