Proxima Centauri's Massive Stellar Flare (IMAGE)

Carnegie Institution for Science

Proxima Centauri's Massive Stellar Flare

Caption

This is the brightness of Proxima Centauri as observed by ALMA over the two minutes of the event on March 24, 2017. The massive stellar flare is shown in red, with the smaller earlier flare in orange, and the enhanced emission surrounding the flare that could mimic a disk in blue. At its peak, the flare increased Proxima Centauri's brightness by 1,000 times. The shaded area represents uncertainty.

Credit

Meredith MacGregor

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