Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Planets around stars like Wolf 359 face intense radiation, challenging potential habitability.
A red dwarf just 7.8 light-years away, Wolf 359 provides key insights into planetary habitability.
Wolf 359 emits steady X-rays and ultraviolet radiation, threatening nearby planetary atmospheres.
Only planets with thick greenhouse gas atmospheres, like Earth, could survive this radiation.
The habitable zone around Wolf 359 is 15% the Earth-Sun distance, favoring distant planets.
Astronomers detected 18 X-ray flares over 3.5 days, pointing to frequent atmospheric risks.
Inner planets in Wolf 359’s orbit would lose their atmospheres in just a million years.
Planets at the outer edge of the habitable zone might sustain life with a strong greenhouse effect.
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Scott Wolk of Harvard & Smithsonian led the study using NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM telescopes.
Long-term X-ray flares and ultraviolet radiation make Wolf 359 a harsh environment for life.
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