Astronomers Alycia Weinberger and Meredith MacGregor have spotted a record-breaking outburst from the Sun’s closest neighbor – the star Proxima Centauri. The new finding could prove helpful in searching for life beyond our Solar System. The study is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
How was the phenomenon captured?
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star that has a mass of about one-eighth the Sun’s mass. It is situated four light-years from the Sun and is orbited by at least two planets, one of which may be reminiscent of Earth.
The researchers used nine ground and space-based telescopes to observe the red dwarf star. They witnessed an extreme flare on May 1, 2019, with five telescopes that chronicled the timing as well its energy in striking detail. “The star went from normal to 14,000 times brighter when seen in ultraviolet wavelengths over the span of a few seconds,” said MacGregor.
What causes stellar flare?
The phenomenon occurs when a shift in the star’s magnetic field accelerates electrons to speeds equivalent to light. These electrons interact with highly charged plasma that causes an eruption, producing emission throughout the electromagnetic spectrum.
“Proxima Centauri is of similar age to the Sun, so it’s been blasting its planets with high energy flares for billions of years,” said Weinberger. “Studying these extreme flares with multiple observatories lets us understand what its planets have endured and how they might have changed.”
Like several red dwarfs, Proxima Centauri is also very lively. “If there was life on the planet nearest to Proxima Centauri, it would have to look very different than anything on Earth,” MacGregor added. “A human being on this planet would have a bad time.”
The researchers pointed nine instruments towards Proxima Centauri for 40 hours, spanning over several months in 2019. They used the duPont Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the ALMA, and NASA’s TESS. Five of them captured the massive flare in its full glory. It also marks the first time astronomers have witnessed such coverage of a stellar flare.
