First direct detection of a Keplerian rotating disk around a Be star

Intensity map in the continuum at 2.15 μm

The high angular resolution provided by the AMBER/VLTI instrument has allowed an international team of astronomers to measure for the first time the velocity law in the disk surrounding the Be star α Arae. They have shown that this velocity law is indeed keplerian, and that the star itself is rotating close to its critical velocity.