Astronomers have confirmed the first clear detection of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a star other than the Sun, using data from the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton space observatory and the LOFAR radio telescope. The event marks a breakthrough in stellar research, capturing an explosive outburst powerful enough to erode the atmosphere of any nearby planet. The discovery, outlined in a new Nature study, was identified around a red dwarf located roughly 130 light-years away. The research team said previous attempts only inferred such eruptions, but none had previously confirmed material escaping into space.
The signal was identified as a short burst of low-frequency radio waves created as the CME blasted through the star’s outer layers and into interstellar space. According to the researchers, this type of radio emission would not occur unless material had fully broken free of the star’s magnetic field. The team analysed both radio and X-ray observations to determine the object’s temperature, rotation and magnetic activity, information they said was essential for interpreting the event.
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The eruption was measured at a speed of about 2,400 kilometres per second, a velocity seen in only a tiny fraction of solar CMEs. The star, a rapidly rotating red dwarf with a magnetic field hundreds of times stronger than the Sun’s, is the type most commonly orbited by planets in the Milky Way. The observed CME was dense and fast enough to strip the atmosphere of any nearby world, raising questions about the long-term habitability of planets orbiting active stars.
Scientists say the result opens a new avenue for understanding space weather on stars other than the Sun. Red dwarfs, despite hosting many of the galaxy’s known exoplanets, may pose significant challenges for the survival of planetary atmospheres if they frequently release eruptions of this magnitude. Researchers involved in the study noted that such findings could reshape assessments of which exoplanets are likely to remain habitable over time.
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The European Space Agency said the work highlights the scientific importance of XMM-Newton and the value of cross-observatory collaboration. The mission, operating since 1999, continues to contribute to studies of extreme astrophysical environments, including black holes, stellar evolution and high-energy radiation. The agency said the detection resolves a decades-long search for evidence of CMEs beyond the Solar System and will support future investigations into how stars influence the atmospheres of their orbiting planets.
Source: ESA