Colossal Superflares Erupt From Sun-Like Stars

Stars like our sun can release “superflares,” explosions of up to 10,000 times more energy than the solar flares seen from our sun, researchers say.

However, it looks unlikely that our sun currently has superflares, scientists added.

Astronomers have previously detected superflares from a variety of star types, which release bursts that have 10 to 10,000 times more energy than the largest solar flare ever detected from our sun. Scientists wanted to know how common these outbursts might be from stars like the sun — those with masses and temperatures similar to our star. Even normal solar flares can damage satellites, endanger astronauts and wreak havoc on electrical grids on Earth, suggesting that superflares might be catastrophic to life on Earth.

Until now, few superflares have been detected from sunlike stars. This rarity has hampered detailed analysis of what might cause them to happen. Now, with NASA’s Kepler planet-hunting satellite, researchers have a way to analyze many sunlike stars at once. The scientists monitored about 83,000 sunlike stars over 120 days and detected365 superflares from 148 of the stars, each lasting one to 12 hours.

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