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Planet Evaporates Due to Stellar Flare
An artist’s conception of a disintegrating planet – creating a trail of dust – around its rocky star. Image Credit: NASA.
Solar flares – huge eruptions of charged particles from the Sun – present little threat to Earth. On a few rare occasions these particles may disrupt our communications systems and cause radio blackouts. But they tend to be more aesthetically pleasing than harmful. It’s certainly a sight to be seen as these energetic particles collide with our atmosphere, resulting in a cascade of colorful lights – the aurora borealis.
Fortunately our planet provides the protection necessary from such harmful space radiation. But not all planets are quite so lucky. Take for instance Kepler’s latest object of interest: KIC 12557548b, a super Mercury-size planet candidate. Astronomers have recently found that due to this star’s activity – producing massive stellar flares – the planet itself is evaporating.
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Read the rest of Planet Evaporates Due to Stellar Flare (544 words)
© Shannon Hall for Universe Today, 2013. |
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Post tags: exoplanets, Extrasolar Planets, solar flares
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Source: http://www.universetoday.com/104804/planet-evaporates-due-to-stellar-flare/
