Proxima Centauri's Extreme Flares Make Habitable Zone Planets Inhospitable
30 March 2025 路 Uncategorized 路
Source: 路 https://technews.tw/2025/03/30/proxima-centauri-intense-flare/
Our nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is a noisy neighbor known for frequent and intense flares. Recent observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have accurately revealed its intensity.
M-type red dwarfs are among the most common stars in the universe; about 73% of all stars are M-dwarfs, with around half of the nearest 65 stars to our Sun being red dwarfs. Additionally, since habitable zones often contain Earth-like planets orbiting these small stars, they frequently become key targets for astronomers.
However, a problem arises because the habitable zone in such systems is typically close to their parent star; if this star releases superflares without strong magnetic field protection, even with an atmosphere, it would be gradually stripped away over time. Furthermore, tidal locking can cause atmospheric depletion due to extreme temperatures on one side of the planet facing its sun continuously.
Recently, researchers used ALMA data to analyze 463 flare events lasting between three and six seconds each, confirming Proxima Centauri's extremely active flaring behavior in radio wavelengths. This provides new insights into these flares' particle properties and their potential impact on planetary habitability.
Compared with our Sun, the flares emitted by Proxima Centauri are relatively more powerful; considering both energy output and frequency of such events, Earth-like planets within its habitable zone鈥攕uch as Proxima b鈥攁re unlikely to support life.
These planets experience tidal locking, meaning they do not rotate. Without rotation, no protective magnetic field is generated. Imagine a planet enduring constant intense radiation bombardment from its parent star; it's highly improbable that such conditions would allow for an atmosphere or the development of life.
(Lead image source: NRAO)
M-type red dwarfs are among the most common stars in the universe; about 73% of all stars are M-dwarfs, with around half of the nearest 65 stars to our Sun being red dwarfs. Additionally, since habitable zones often contain Earth-like planets orbiting these small stars, they frequently become key targets for astronomers.
However, a problem arises because the habitable zone in such systems is typically close to their parent star; if this star releases superflares without strong magnetic field protection, even with an atmosphere, it would be gradually stripped away over time. Furthermore, tidal locking can cause atmospheric depletion due to extreme temperatures on one side of the planet facing its sun continuously.
Recently, researchers used ALMA data to analyze 463 flare events lasting between three and six seconds each, confirming Proxima Centauri's extremely active flaring behavior in radio wavelengths. This provides new insights into these flares' particle properties and their potential impact on planetary habitability.
Compared with our Sun, the flares emitted by Proxima Centauri are relatively more powerful; considering both energy output and frequency of such events, Earth-like planets within its habitable zone鈥攕uch as Proxima b鈥攁re unlikely to support life.
These planets experience tidal locking, meaning they do not rotate. Without rotation, no protective magnetic field is generated. Imagine a planet enduring constant intense radiation bombardment from its parent star; it's highly improbable that such conditions would allow for an atmosphere or the development of life.
(Lead image source: NRAO)