Scientists observed an intense eruption of the star closest to the sun

The closest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, released a record-breaking explosion. Thanks to a network of nine telescopes on Earth and in space, a team of astronomers was able to capture the event.

Proxima Centauri It has a mass of about one-eighth of the Sun’s mass and is classified as a red dwarf. Although the stars come under fire occasionally, this explosion, which five of the nine telescopes watched on May 1, 2019, was one of the most drastic telescopes ever.

to me Europa Press, Proxima Centauri unleashed a flash, i.e. a radioactive explosion that starts near the surface of a star, is one of the deadliest explosions anywhere in the galaxy.

“ The star turned from normal to 14,000 times brighter Meredith McGregor, assistant professor at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA) and Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences in Boulder, US, said when viewed in ultraviolet waves every few seconds.

Discoveries that appear in a new scientific article Published In April in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Point to A. New physics It could change the way scientists view stellar explosions.

“If there was life on the planet closest to Proxima Centauri, it must be very different from Earth. You’re going through tough times“, The researcher said, in Release.

Proxima Centauri has been an interesting target for scientists hoping to find life outside the solar system.

The star is home to a planet called Proxima Centauri b, which is in the habitable zone – a region around a star that has a suitable temperature range to host liquid water on a planet’s surface.