Scientists have recorded the most powerful flare ever observed on Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the solar system. The research results are published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Astronomers observed Proxima Centauri in 2019 for 40 hours with nine telescopes on earth and in space, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the ALMA Radio Telescope Complex and the TESS Space Observatory. During this time, the star gave birth to a bright flare, which is one of the strongest recorded in the Milky Way. In ultraviolet waves, the luminary became brighter 14 thousand times for a few seconds.
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf about four light-years from the Sun. The Earth-type planet Proxima Centauri b revolves around the star, but life on it is most likely impossible precisely because of the powerful flares that are characteristic of red dwarfs.
This event was observed on May 1, 2019 and lasted only seven seconds. Although it did not produce much visible light, it released a tremendous amount of energy in the form of ultraviolet and millimeter-wave radiation. Overall, the observed flare was about a hundred times more powerful than any such flare observed on the Sun from Earth.
