Scientists at the University of Sydney in Australia have found that red dwarfs generate powerful explosions that are deadly to living things. This is reported in an article published in the Astrophysical Journal.
The results of the study indicate the likely lifelessness of two planets in orbit around Proxima Centauri, located in the vicinity of the Sun at a distance of 4.2 light years. Since red stars (or M-dwarfs), to which Proxima Centauri belongs, are colder than the Sun, the planets must be close enough to the star for liquid water to exist on them. However, this location of the habitable zone makes the planet vulnerable to stellar flares and coronal mass ejections.
With coronal mass ejections, extremely powerful ejections of ionized plasma and radiation occur. Moreover, M-dwarfs are the most common type of stars in galaxies.
Researchers have managed to associate the observed optical flare on Proxima Centauri with a recorded radio burst, the characteristics of which indicate extremely strong X-ray and ultraviolet radiation. The atmosphere of exoplanets can undergo intense erosion and eventually disappear.