Principal investigator
Meredith MacGregor
Funding
National Science Foundation (NSF); NASA
Collaboration + support
Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy; Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences; Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP); National Solar Observatory
Now, that鈥檚 one big cosmic explosion.
A research team led by Meredith MacGregor,听assistant professor at the Center for听Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA),听has observed the largest flare ever recorded听from the sun鈥檚 nearest neighbor: the star听Proxima Centauri.
Proxima Centauri is a 鈥渞ed dwarf鈥� star that sits听just four light-years from Earth. And on May听1, 2019, researchers saw it erupt in a record-setting听explosion using a suite of five instruments听in space and on the ground.
鈥淭he star went from normal to 14,000 times听brighter when seen in ultraviolet wavelengths听over the span of a few seconds,鈥� MacGregor听said.
She added that such flares from Proxima听Centauri might be more common than scientists听think鈥攂ad news for any nearby lifeforms.
Photo by NRAO/S. Dagnello
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