Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O Neill Riley
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article, which was published May 3, 2021.
The Sun isn’t the only star to produce stellar flares. On April 21, 2021, a team of astronomers published new research describing the brightest flare ever measured from Proxima Centauri in ultraviolet light. To learn about this extraordinary event – and what it might mean for any life on the planets orbiting Earth’s closest neighboring star – The Conversation spoke with Parke Loyd, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University and co-author of the paper. Excerpts from our conversation are below and have been edited for length and clarity.
Center for Astrophysics
A Hubble image of the M-dwarf star Proxima Centauri, our closest stellar neighbor about four light-years away. Proxima hosts two planets, and is known to actively flare. Astronomers studying the suitability for life evolving on exoplanets around M-dwarf stars have completed a multi-wavelength analysis of an extreme flare on Proxima Cen.
Hubble/ ESA/NAS
The prospects for life around low-mass, cool M-type stars have been extensively discussed because these stars are the most common ones in the galaxy, and they frequently host Earth-sized planets in their habitable zones (orbits where the surface temperatures can support liquid water). Unfortunately for the prospects of life, however, these stars also exhibit higher levels of stellar activity and flaring than do more massive, solar-type stars, and flares can gradually deplete a planet’s atmosphere of molecules needed for life. Moreover, these hostile conditions persist in some fashion throughout their lifeti
Massive flare on Proxima Centauri could spell bad news for any alien life astronomy.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from astronomy.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Massive Flare Seen Close to Our Solar System: What It Means for Chances of Alien Neighbors
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The sun isn’t the only star to produce stellar flares. On April 21, 2021, a team of astronomers published new research describing the brightest flare ever measured from Proxima Centauri in ultraviolet light. To learn about this extraordinary event, and what it might mean for any life on the planets orbiting Earth’s closest neighboring star, The Conversation spoke with Parke Loyd, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University and co-author of the paper. Excerpts from the conversation are below and have been edited for length and clarity.
Massive solar flares may spark alien life on habitable planet dailystar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailystar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.