Some are so close they\u2019re effectively embedded within the rarefied upper atmosphere of the star itself \u2013 the corona.<\/p>
Such close-in planets would be expected to significantly interact with the star\u2019s magnetic field<\/a>, so much so that they could even trigger solar flares.<\/p> Ekaterina Ilin and her colleagues at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam<\/a> in Germany completed the largest systematic search for just such occurrences.<\/p> Flares \u2013 short-lived but intense increases in stellar brightness \u2013 are caused by the sudden release of energy from the contorted magnetic field of the star.<\/p> These outbursts usually occur randomly, but the researchers reasoned that if a close-in planet is magnetically interacting with its star, there should be a pattern in the timing of flares.<\/p> From our point of view, we would see a regular clustering of flares when the planet is in a particular part of its orbit.<\/p> Ilin and her team turned to the huge catalogue of data created by the Kepler<\/a> and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)<\/a> space telescopes.<\/p> These observatories were designed to hunt for exoplanets, but their frequent, precise measurements of the changing brightnesses of large numbers of stars are perfect for picking out flares.<\/p> The team searched the archives for signs of flares from over 1,800 stars known to have a close-in planet: over half of known exoplanetary systems.<\/p> They compiled a catalogue of 1,169 individual flares in 92 planetary systems.<\/p> Then they focused on the 25 stars where they\u2019d observed at least three energetic flares.<\/p> They analysed timings to see if they were bunched in phase with the innermost planet\u2019s orbit, rather than being uniformly distributed. \u00a0<\/p> Most of the stars they narrowed down to didn\u2019t show any evidence of flare clustering.<\/p> This is what would be expected, because it takes a special situation for there to be a powerful magnetic interaction between the planet and its star.<\/p> However, they did find a single system with a prominent clustering of flares: HIP 67522.<\/p> This is a newly formed Sun-like star located around 415 lightyears away in the constellation Centaurus, This hot young world, says the team, is the most promising candidate yet for a planet with such a strong magnetic interaction with its star that it triggers flares.\u00a0<\/p> The results are tentative, but they note the TESS mission continues to collect high-precision data, and will be joined in 2026 by the PLATO space telescope.<\/p> After a little more data collection, they say, the stats will become clear enough to potentially confirm this detection.<\/p> But for me, this paper was one of those that just really fires up the imagination,<\/p> The possibility of a sun-blasted exoplanet triggering streams of colossal flares erupting from its star\u2019s surface as it passes.<\/p>Searching for exoplanet-induced flares<\/strong><\/h2>
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The search begins<\/strong><\/h2>
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