First discovery of stellar storm 10,000 times stronger than solar storm, can wipe out planet's atmosphere

Astronomers have for the first time detected a stellar storm occurring on a star other than the Sun, with an explosion 10,000 times more powerful than a solar storm.

Illustration of the coronal mass ejection process - Photo: NAOJ

According to AFP news agency, on November 12, astronomers said they had discovered for the first time a storm occurring on a star other than the Sun, an explosion so violent that it could have blown away the atmosphere of any nearby planet.

First detection of stellar storm on a star other than the Sun

Solar storms often produce giant eruptions called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can disrupt satellite operations and create dazzling auroras.

A powerful solar storm has recently caused auroras to appear as far south as the US state of Tennessee. In New Zealand, the auroras were also recorded and are expected to continue to intensify overnight.

However, observing similar storms on distant stars has long been a major challenge for astronomers.

According to a new publication in the journal Nature , an international research team used data from LOFAR - a European network of telescopes that specializes in recording radio signals - and for the first time recorded a stellar storm from a star more than 133 light-years from Earth.

Since 2016, the team has been using LOFAR to observe extreme phenomena in the universe such as radiation from black holes.

“We always have stars in view of our telescopes, but we usually don't notice them,” said study co-author and astronomer Cyril Tasse of the Paris Observatory.

Thanks to the data processing system that recorded background signals, the team unexpectedly discovered an extremely powerful explosion on May 16, 2016, emitted from the red dwarf star StKM 1-1262, more than 133 light-years from Earth.

Analysis showed that it was a coronal mass ejection, marking the first stellar storm ever detected outside the Sun. Although the explosion lasted only a minute, it was at least 10,000 times more powerful than storms known to occur on the Sun, Mr. Tasse emphasized.

"Atmospheric killer"

Philippe Zarka, deputy director of research at the Paris Observatory, said the discovery “opens a new era in the study of space weather in other star systems.”

He believes that understanding the magnetic activity of stars like red dwarfs will help scientists more accurately assess their influence on the possibility of life on nearby planets.

Red dwarf stars, which have masses only 10-50% that of the Sun, are considered the most common type of star in the universe and can possess planets nearly the size of Earth.

Still, Mr. Tasse said it appears the red dwarf behaves much more erratically and violently than the Sun.

“That means these stars are unlikely to be hospitable environments for life or exoplanets,” he explains, because powerful storms could completely destroy the atmospheres of nearby planets.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lan-dau-phat-hien-bao-sao-manh-gap-10-000-lan-bao-mat-troi-co-the-xoa-so-khi-quyen-cua-hanh-tinh-20251113172836897.htm