A Multiwavelength Look at Proxima Centauri's Flares
(centauri-dreams.org)
The problem of flares in red dwarf planetary systems is stark. With their habitable zones relatively near to the star, planets that might support life are exposed to huge outbursts of particles and radiation that can strip their atmospheres. We can see that in nearby M-dwarfs like Proxima Centauri, which is extremely active not only in visible light but also in radio and millimeter wavelengths. New work at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) digs into the millimeter-wavelength activity.
The problem of flares in red dwarf planetary systems is stark. With their habitable zones relatively near to the star, planets that might support life are exposed to huge outbursts of particles and radiation that can strip their atmospheres. We can see that in nearby M-dwarfs like Proxima Centauri, which is extremely active not only in visible light but also in radio and millimeter wavelengths. New work at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) digs into the millimeter-wavelength activity.