IPAC Astronomy Lunch Seminar

Newly obtained observations with the CHARA Array and other interferometers are serving to increase the pressure that observational constraints exert upon theoretical models. Two areas will be highlighted in this discussion: First, angular size measurements obtained on low-mass stars are probing a unique region of discovery space on the HR diagram, where convection effects begin to dominate and complicate stellar modeling. Second, direct imaging of rapid rotators is also providing unique observational guidance in a realm that is failed by traditional one-dimensional codes. Finally, a few remarks will be presented on current attempts to directly image planet transit events by interferometers.