The dust surrounding w hydrae

Abstract

Dust shells surrounding the star W Hydrae have been resolved and measured at a wavelength of 11.15 μm, using the Infrared Spatial Interferometer. Two different models for the star and dust shells are used to fit the data, one for recent data taken over short time spans and another for the combined data of 15 years. Modeling of the data shows the presence of two dust shells with diameters of approximately 100 mas and 250 mas. The inner dust shell is seen to expand over the year 2008. The observations are consistent with a stellar diameter of 50 mas. © 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.