Jan 20, 2017 04:29 AM
https://worldofweirdthings.com/the-many-...84c59b9710
EXCERPT: When astronomers recently discovered evidence of a rocky world orbiting our nearest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri, there was much rejoicing and many scientists started wondering what life on that planet may be like. But now a team of researchers at an astronomy confab poured some cold water on these ideas. We’ve already covered that red dwarfs belch a huge amount of radiation on a regular basis because their low mass allows vast flows of plasma to supercharge their magnetic fields, and now, two teams applied this dynamic to models emulating Proxima Centauri b’s evolution throughout its 5 billion year existence. The result? Based on what we know so far, this world should be a radioactive, lifeless desert. Over the eons, the massive flares would’ve boiled off all water and scoured the surface of life, even with a magnetic field to try and protect itself since its star would have an especially active phase lasting for 300 to 400 million years, very easily overwhelming the planet’s defenses. Or so the models show...
EXCERPT: When astronomers recently discovered evidence of a rocky world orbiting our nearest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri, there was much rejoicing and many scientists started wondering what life on that planet may be like. But now a team of researchers at an astronomy confab poured some cold water on these ideas. We’ve already covered that red dwarfs belch a huge amount of radiation on a regular basis because their low mass allows vast flows of plasma to supercharge their magnetic fields, and now, two teams applied this dynamic to models emulating Proxima Centauri b’s evolution throughout its 5 billion year existence. The result? Based on what we know so far, this world should be a radioactive, lifeless desert. Over the eons, the massive flares would’ve boiled off all water and scoured the surface of life, even with a magnetic field to try and protect itself since its star would have an especially active phase lasting for 300 to 400 million years, very easily overwhelming the planet’s defenses. Or so the models show...
