Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2010
Let S be a compact set in some euclidean space, such that every homo-thetic copy λS of S, with 0 < λ < 1, can be expressed as the intersection of some family of translates of S. It is shown that S has this property precisely when it is star-shaped, and is such that every point in the complement of S is visible from some point (necessarily on the boundary) of the kernel of S. Alternatively, S can be characterized as a compact star-shaped set, whose maximal convex subsets are cap-bodies of its kernel.