Young Sun-like stars show stronger superflare activity during larger starspot periods
SCIENCEUnverifiedUpdated:
Three young Sun-like stars reportedly showed stronger superflare activity when their starspots were larger. The association comes from about seven years of TESS data and is limited to those three stars.
About seven years of TESS data for three young stars
A research team analyzed data collected by NASA's TESS space telescope over roughly seven years. For three Sun-like stars estimated to be about 30 million to 100 million years old, it reported that periods with larger giant starspots—large dark areas on a star's surface—were associated with higher superflare frequency and total energy. Superflares are exceptionally large stellar eruptions.
The research description says the causes of stellar flares have not been fully explained. It does not provide a prior comparable measurement for these same three stars.
For three young Sun-like stars, the analysis reported that larger giant-starspot area coincided with more frequent superflare activity and greater total flare energy.
The reported relationship offers a clue to how activity on young Sun-like stars varies, and to the space environment around planets orbiting them. The result is limited to the three stars analyzed.
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