Flattest star

The least spherical star studied to date in our galaxy is the southern star Achernar (Alpha Eridani). Observations made using the VLT Interferometer at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory, Atacama, Chile, have revealed that Achernar is spinning so rapidly that its equatorial diameter is more than 50% greater than its polar diameter. The observations were made between 11 September and 12 November 2002 and the results were released on 11 June 2003.

Achernar has the following dimensions: equatorial radius: 12.0+/- 0.4 solar radii (8.4 million km) polar radius: 7.7+/- 0.2 solar radii (5.4 million km), giving it an axial ration of 1.56+\- 0.05 Achenar has an apparent magnitude of 0.46 and is 26 parsecs away (85 light years).