From the August 2008 issue

Can telescopes see a star’s disk?

Timothy J. Morris, Sutton Coldfield, England
By | Published: August 25, 2008 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The immense distances to most stars result in their perception solely as point sources of light.
  • This observational characteristic applies even to the largest stellar types, such as supergiants, when viewed through standard astronomical telescopes.
Yes. The distances to most stars are so great that even the largest, the supergiants, appear only as points of light through normal telescopes.