NASA Observes Largest Stellar Flares Ever Recorded
- 10 years ago
One of NASA’s satellites has picked up on what astronomers say is the most intense stellar flare ever recorded in a red dwarf star about 60 light years away from Earth. The Swift satellite measured the stellar flare at around a hundred thousand times more powerful than any solar flares produced by our own sun, making it the hottest, longest and largest flare ever produced by a red dwarf star.
One of NASA’s satellites has picked up on what astronomers say is the most intense stellar flare ever recorded in a red dwarf star. The star is part of a binary system about 60 light years away from Earth.
The Swift satellite measured the peak of the flare at around ten thousand times more powerful than any solar flare ever recorded, making it the hottest, longest and largest flare ever produced by a red dwarf star.
At the hottest point during the explosive eruption, the temperature of the flare measured around 360 million degrees Fahrenheit, which is over 12 times higher than the temperature at the center of the sun.
The Burst Alert Telescope onboard the Swift satellite picked up on the activity, which was then closely monitored as it developed into a superflare.
Solar flares are caused by fluctuations of the star’s magnetic fields which store energy until magnetic reconnection destabilizes the field, causing a massive release of energy.
One of NASA’s satellites has picked up on what astronomers say is the most intense stellar flare ever recorded in a red dwarf star. The star is part of a binary system about 60 light years away from Earth.
The Swift satellite measured the peak of the flare at around ten thousand times more powerful than any solar flare ever recorded, making it the hottest, longest and largest flare ever produced by a red dwarf star.
At the hottest point during the explosive eruption, the temperature of the flare measured around 360 million degrees Fahrenheit, which is over 12 times higher than the temperature at the center of the sun.
The Burst Alert Telescope onboard the Swift satellite picked up on the activity, which was then closely monitored as it developed into a superflare.
Solar flares are caused by fluctuations of the star’s magnetic fields which store energy until magnetic reconnection destabilizes the field, causing a massive release of energy.