  We present the first resolved images of the eclipsing binary Beta Lyrae,
obtained with the CHARA Array interferometer and the MIRC combiner in the H
band. The images clearly show the mass donor and the thick disk surrounding the
mass gainer at all six epochs of observation. The donor is brighter and
generally appears elongated in the images, the first direct detection of
photospheric tidal distortion due to Roche-lobe filling. We also confirm
expectations that the disk component is more elongated than the donor and is
relatively fainter at this wavelength. Image analysis and model fitting for
each epoch were used for calculating the first astrometric orbital solution for
Beta Lyrae, yielding precise values for the orbital inclination and position
angle. The derived semi-ma jor axis also allows us to estimate the distance of
Beta Lyrae; however, systematic differences between the models and the images
limit the accuracy of our distance estimate to about 15%. To address these
issues, we will need a more physical, self-consistent model to account for all
epochs as well as the multi-wavelength information from the eclipsing light
curves.
