2001MNRAS.322..356C

Lunar occultation observations of the inner dust shell surrounding the carbon-rich long-period variable IRC+10216 obtained in the near-infrared K band have yielded a one-dimensional scan across the source (at position angle 304°) with a high angular resolution of 1milliarcsec. Analysis of the occultation light curve shows significant departures from a spherically symmetric uniform disc model, indicating that the dust shell of IRC+10216 is extremely clumpy. Apart from a dominant component A, at least three other components (B, C, D) are seen within the clumpy structure. Comparison with earlier speckle observations confirms that real spatial changes are taking place in the clumpy structure over time-scales of a few years.