Some of the most promising areas to search for extraterrestrial life have been suggested to be the planets that orbit M-class red dwarf stars; nevertheless, it now appears that violent outbursts from the stars could leave those planets inhospitable.
This is an artist's rendition of a red dwarf star that is flared up and a nearby planet.
ROBERTO MOLAR CANDANOSA/CARNEGIE/NASA CANDANOSA/CARNEGIE/NASA
According to the largest survey of planet-hosting stars that has ever been conducted, planets that were once thought to be the most promising candidates to host life outside of our solar system may actually not be habitable due to powerful stellar flares. These planets were once considered to be the most promising candidates to host life outside of our solar system. Nevertheless, it is possible that these high-energy bursts could be used to jumpstart chemical reactions that are necessary for life.
Exoplanets that were found in the so-called habitable zone of their parent star, which is the region where temperatures aren't excessively high nor low enough to prevent the presence of liquid water on the planet's surface, frequently…
