M-dwarfs
Plants Would Still Grow Well Under Alien Skies
Photosynthesis changed Earth in powerful ways. When photosynthetic organisms appeared, it led to the Great Oxygenation Event. That allowed multicellular…
Studying Stars from the Lunar Surface with MoonLITE, Courtesy of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services
Optical interferometry has been a long-proven science method that involves using several separate telescopes to act as one big telescope,…
Astronomers are on the Hunt for Dyson Spheres
There's something poetic about humanity's attempt to detect other civilizations somewhere in the Milky Way's expanse. There's also something futile…
Even the Calmest Red Dwarfs are Wilder than the Sun
There's something menacing about red dwarfs. Human eyes are accustomed to our benevolent yellow Sun and the warm light it…
Are Planets Tidally Locked to Red Dwarfs Habitable? It’s Complicated
Astronomers are keenly interested in red dwarfs and the planets that orbit them. Up to 85% of the stars in…
Another Reason Red Dwarfs Might Be Bad for Life: No Asteroid Belts
In a recent study accepted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team of researchers at the University of Nevada, Las…
Just How Bad are Superflares to a Planet’s Habitability?
Star's can be full of surprises; some of them nasty. While our own Sun appears pretty placid, science has shown…