Abstractions

摘要

A star system called Algol has been intriguing scientists for more than 300 years. Initially, they were fascinated by its variable brightness -which was explained by the findi ng that it consi sts of two stars, the orbits of which eclipse each other when viewed from Earth. More recently, scientists have been keen to use Algol to learn more about the structure of stars' magnetic fields, particularly as Algol's is roughly 1,000 times stronger than that of the Sun. On page 207, Bill Peterson at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and his colleagues provide detailed images of Algol's magnetic field, the first such images of a star other than the Sun.