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Most of the potentially habitable planets that astronomers have discovered appear to be orbiting tiny red dwarfs. It is estimated that this type of star can form up to 75% of the stars in our galaxy, writes the Universe Today portal.
Stars like our Sun make up only 7.5% of the stars in the Milky Way. It is therefore logical that if we wanted to discover traces of extraterrestrial life, we would find them probably with one of the red dwarfs. However, there is a small problem: red dwarfs are not a completely suitable house star.
Active star
First of all, they are small and relatively cold. Therefore, any planet would have to orbit very close to be hot enough for life. At the same time, however, it means planets are much more exposed to solar activity and young red dwarfs can be extremely active. In addition to large spills, they also emit a strong dose of X-rays. In practice, this means that red dwarfs can break down the atmosphere of planets orbiting them and burn their surfaces. On the other hand they live extremely long.
Astronomers assumed they were red dwarfs calm over time, but new research shatters this hypothesis. In it, scientists targeted Barnard’s star. It is a red dwarf, only six light years from Earth. The star is estimated to be around 12 billion years old. So he had plenty of time to calm down, at least according to current theories. However, the reality is slightly different and it turns out that the star is still active.
A team of scientists has found that the star’s activity could knock down the atmosphere of planets in its habitable zone. Even the planets, which formed further and only later came closer, due to various gravitational forces, are not safe. If the activity of the star Barnard represents all red dwarfs, then they turn out to be too hostile for potentially habitable worlds.
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