flare star

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a dwarf star that exhibits sudden increases of magnitude similar to solar flares.

flare star

noun

1. a red dwarf star in which outbursts, thought to be analogous to solar flares, occur, increasing the luminosity by several magnitudes in a few minutes

flare star

/ flâr /

1. A variable star that sporadically displays sudden increases in brightness, sometimes becoming six times as bright in a matter of only a few minutes, after which it gradually fades back to its normal brightness. The cause of this phenomenon is thought to be an event similar to a solar flare, but on a more intense scale with a much higher emission of x-rays.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flare star¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

What’s more, Proxima Centauri is a flare star, continually erupting in bursts of light that, unless painstakingly filtered out in some as-yet-undefined manner, could outshine the far fainter thermal signals from Proxima b.

From Scientific American

It’s a type of red dwarf known as a flare star.

From The Verge

Then there's Proxima itself: Known as a flare star, the red devil lashes huge flares of radiation out into space every few hours.

From Washington Post

Plus, Proxima Centauri is a flare star, meaning its brightness changes in unpredictable ways.

From The Verge

No one has ever seen very large plasma clouds around a flare star, he acknowledges—but no one has ever seen the extremely large magnetar starquakes or giant pulses required by competing models, either.

From Scientific American