Can you see any star's disk with a telescope?

[overlord (Charles)]

Well i'm not really a beginner but I was asked by my mum if there was any detail to be seen on stars...

Of course I gave the stock dogma that only planets have disks, and said u couldn't, but then i wondered... what if you could? I think Helvetius or whatever he was called did an experiment with this.

What if you get say a 1000x mag and tracked it onto a star during pristine conditions... what would u see? We know that the atmosphere can magnify the appearance of stars sometimes...

So.......... Any optical experts with an answer?

I wouldn't mind seeing sunspots of beatlegeuse!

[michaellxv (Michael)]

Try this but I don't think you are going to seeing sunspots.

[steve000 (Steve)]

Im guessing potentially in the largest of large stars with some insanly rare atmospheric conditions and a scope capable of 1000's x magnification and tracking. maybe in the future but not today.
id imagine a large diameter around 5m cassegrain design with a ccd camera and 10x or 30x barlows

but yes id say potentially but unlikley, especially with visual observations anyway

[OzRob (Rob)]

To give you an idea attached is an image of Betelgeuse taken by the HST.

Source

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

I guess you're not counting ol' Sol (Check out Peter Ward's amazing photo of same.)

Otherwise, well, er, not really...

[overlord (Charles)]

Originally Posted by michaellxv

Try this but I don't think you are going to seeing sunspots.

that's one huge article. i guess the official answer is not really. ah well but i can always pretend i can see something!

[ArcaneMagik (Craig)]

Space based telescopes/ground based adaptive optics telescopes are able to resolve very limited detail on the largest closest stars.

Betelgeuse is over 1000x larger than our sun and relatively close at 643 light years. Next largest that close is Antares.

Heck, even Pluto we can't get surface detail from without using the apparent brightness as it's moon transits the surface.

[overlord (Charles)]

Originally Posted by michaellxv

Try this but I don't think you are going to seeing sunspots.

yeah nice article... here it is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ESO-Betelgeuse.jpg

I don't see any sunspots.