1998A&A...340L..39W

We present the first diffraction-limited images of the mass-loss envelope of the red supergiant star VY CMa. The two-dimensional optical and NIR images were reconstructed from 3.6m telescope speckle data using bispectrum speckle interferometry. At the wavelengths ∼0.8µm (RG780 filter), 1.28µm, and 2.17µm the diffraction-limited resolutions of 46mas, 73mas, and 124mas were achieved. All images clearly show that the circumstellar envelope of VY CMa is non-spherical. The RG780, 1.28µm, and 2.17µm FWHM Gauss fit diameters are 67mas x 83mas, 80masx116mas and 138masx205mas, respectively, or 100AUx125AU, 120AUx174AU and 207AUx308AU (for a distance of 1500pc). We discuss several interpretations for the asymmetric morphology. Combining recent results about the angular momentum evolution of red supergiants and their pulsational properties, we suggest that VY CMa is an immediate progenitor of IRC+10420, a post red supergiant during its transformation into a Wolf-Rayet star.