SIMBAD references

Many mechanisms have been proposed to contribute to massive-star mass loss, but in general little is known about the physics involved. Studies of circumstellar environments around massive stars might help to determine which mechanisms are the most common. With the recent advent of high-contrast, extreme adaptive optics, coronagraphic instruments, direct-imaging studies of massive-star circumstellar environments have become possible. With these instruments, one can directly observe regions closer to the star than ever before. We performed a pilot study to image red supergiant circumstellar environments using the Gemini Planet Imager on Gemini South. In this paper, we report on the first direct detection of circumstellar dust around CD -31°4916, an otherwise “normal” red supergiant. This dust appears in both the near-infrared and the optical, which we obtained with follow-up HST observations. The dust appears to be at least partially located in clumps within 1″ of the central star. Therefore, we believe that continued exploration of massive star circumstellar environments with these coronagraphic instruments is warranted, even for systems with no previously resolved circumstellar material, and may play a vital role in our understanding of their mass-loss physics.