This topic was posted , thanks BenLurkin. I'm having my end of the year check for missed topics.
Posted on 10/20/2018 3:46:21 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The most common type of star in the galaxy is the red dwarf star. None of these small, dim stars can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, but they can emit flares far more powerful than anything our Sun emits. Two astronomers using the Hubble space telescope saw a red dwarf star give off a powerful type of flare called a superflare. That’s bad news for any planets in these stars’ so-called habitable zones.
Red dwarfs make up about 75% of the stars in the Milky Way, so they probably host many exoplanets. In fact, scientists think most of the planets that are in habitable zones are orbiting red dwarfs. But the more astronomers observe these stars, the more they’re becoming aware of just how chaotic and energetic it can be in their neighbourhoods. That means we might have to re-think what habitable zone means.
...
...
The age of the star is part of the superflare phenomena. Younger stars, particularly those in the first one hundred million years of their lives, exhibit more flaring activity than intermediate and old age stars. And it’s possible that this flaring occurs daily.
“This means that we’re looking at superflares happening every day or even a few times a day.” – Parke Loyd, Arizona State University.
Young red dwarfs emit so much energy, that their superflares are powerful enough to shred the atmosphere of any planets in their habitable zones. Many of these planets might be tidally locked to their red dwarf star, another condition that makes life on these exoplanets a very challenging prospect. But since most habitable zone exoplanets in our galaxy are orbiting red dwarfs, it’s important to study the interactions between planet and star.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
Please educate yourself. The fourth nearest star is a red dwarf. Wolf 359 is only 11.9 light years away, and appears as it did during the Bush administration.
Correction 7.9 light years. My memory isn’t as good as it used to be.
I did not specify a time frame for this particular star. Because it was not in the article. But it should have been. It rambled on and on without answering this question that I had from the moment I read the headline.
This topic was posted , thanks BenLurkin. I'm having my end of the year check for missed topics.
This topic was posted , thanks for posting it, thanks for reading it. I'm enjoying my end of the year check for missed topics.
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe · Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
