Zooming in on the red giant star π1 Gruis

This sequence takes the viewer towards the southern constellation of Grus (The Crane). We zoom in on the pair of stars π¹ Gruis (red) and π² Gruis (bluish-white), and the bright spiral galaxy IC 5201 is also visible. The final shot shows a very detailed view of the surface of the red giant star π¹ Gruis from the PIONIER instrument on the VLT Interferometer.