Flare star facts for kids
A flare star is a variable star that suddenly gets much brighter for a few minutes. This happens without warning.
Flares on these stars are a lot like solar flares that happen on our Sun. They are caused by magnetic storms in the star's outer layers. When a flare happens, the star's brightness increases across the whole light spectrum, from X-rays to radio waves.
The first known flare stars were found in 1924. They were named V1396 Cygni and AT Microscopii. The most famous flare star is UV Ceti, discovered in 1948. Today, similar flare stars are called UV Ceti type variable stars. Flares can happen every few days. For some stars, like Barnard's Star, they happen much less often. Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our Solar System, is also a flare star.
Most flare stars are dim red dwarfs. These are small, cool stars. Even less massive objects called brown dwarfs might also have flares. Heavier stars, like the RS Canum Venaticorum variables (RS CVn), also flare. Scientists believe these flares are caused by a nearby companion star. This companion star messes with the main star's magnetic field. Nine stars similar to our Sun have also been seen to flare. It's thought that these flares happen for similar reasons. A large planet, like Jupiter, orbiting very close to the star could cause these flares.
Contents
Nearby Flare Stars
Flare stars don't give off much light. But they have been found as far as 1,000 light years from Earth.
Proxima Centauri: Our Closest Neighbor
Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our Sun. It is a flare star. Proxima Centauri gets brighter randomly because of magnetic forces. Inside the star, hot gas moves around, creating a magnetic field. This leads to flares. The total X-ray energy from Proxima Centauri's flares is similar to the Sun's. This is interesting because the Sun is much heavier than Proxima Centauri.
Wolf 359: A Flaring Red Dwarf
The flare star Wolf 359 is another star close to our Solar System. It is in the constellation of Leo. Wolf 359 is a red dwarf star. It is known to give off X-rays. It is a UV Ceti type flare star. This means it flares quite often.
The average magnetic field of Wolf 359 changes a lot in just a few hours. For comparison, the Sun's magnetic field is usually about 1 G (100 μT). But it can get as strong as 3 kG (0.3 T) in active sunspot areas.
Barnard's Star: A Suspected Flaring Star
Barnard's Star is the second nearest star system to our Sun. Scientists think it might also be a flare star.
TVLM513-46546: A Tiny Flaring Star
TVLM513-46546 is a flare star with a very low mass. This small star is just barely heavy enough to be called a red dwarf.
See also
In Spanish: Estrella fulgurante para niños
