Research on the celestial objects acting as the mother stars of the nearest exoplanets to Earth has unveiled chilling truths.
In an article published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a team from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii (USA) and the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge (UK) warns that red dwarfs tend to bombard their planets with devastating stellar flares.
Red dwarfs are M-type stars that are dimmer and cooler than our Sun, making up about 70% of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy where Earth resides.
The Earth-like planet Proxima, located 4.2 light-years away, may have a “mother” that frequently erupts – (AI Illustration: ANH THƯ).
Near our Sun, several known red dwarfs exist, the most famous being Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf that hosts at least one Earth-like planet.
Stable, abundant, and likely to possess rocky planets around them, red dwarfs have become compelling targets in the search for extraterrestrial life.
However, new research brings shocking news as it examines about 300,000 stars and focuses on 182 flares originating from M-type systems.
According to the authors, while previous large-scale observational studies of stellar flares were primarily conducted in optical wavelengths, their work focuses on ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted from these events.
Specifically, the study examines radiation in the near UV range (175–275 nm) and far UV range (135–175 nm).
Although this radiation is not necessarily harmful to the development of complex molecules believed to be prerequisites for life, it can significantly impact a planet’s habitability.
Toxic Dosage: With a relatively modest quantity, high-energy photons produced by stellar flares can help catalyze the formation of life-related compounds, but excessive amounts can strip a planet’s atmosphere, including its ozone layer.
This further exposes potential life to UV radiation, posing great risks.
Even if life has developed to some extent, an excessively strong UV flare could lead to extinction-level disasters.
98% of the 182 flares recorded by the research team from red dwarfs released levels of UV radiation higher than expected, a level sufficient to cause catastrophic events.
“If red dwarf flares truly produce excessive UV radiation, the planets orbiting them may be more hostile to life than we think, even if they meet other criteria for habitability,” Science Alert quotes the authors’ conclusion.
Nevertheless, most astrobiologists believe that life may still find ways to squeeze through narrow openings.
It is possible that these planets do not host extraterrestrial beings, but may still harbor extremophiles similar to those found deep underground, under thick ice, in toxic lakes, or in geothermal hot springs…
