Planets of Red Dwarf Stars May Face Oxygen Loss in Habitable Zones (VIDEO)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Caption

In this artist's concept, X-ray and extreme ultraviolet light from a young red dwarf star cause ions to escape from an exoplanet's atmosphere. Scientists have developed a model that estimates the oxygen ion escape rate on planets around red dwarfs, which plays an important role in determining an exoplanet's habitability.

Credit

NASA Goddard/Conceptual Image Lab, Michael Lentz, animator/Genna Duberstein, producer

Usage Restrictions

None

License

Licensed content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.