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21st of December 2020
A Flare-type IV Burst from Proxima Centauri and Implications for Space Weather
by Zic et al.
Zic et al. report observations of a powerful flare and associated radio bursts from Proxima Centauri, the nearest star and exoplanet host to the Sun. The radio bursts, detected by ASKAP, form the most compelling example of solar-like radio burst activity detected from another star to date. The properties of the radio bursts following the optical flare identify them as a solar-like type IV burst event. On the Sun, type IV bursts only occur following coronal mass ejections, and are driven by accelerated electrons in post-eruptive magnetic structures. Interpreting this event in the solar paradigm, this type IV burst from Proxima Cen is indicative of a coronal mass ejection event from the star, marking an important step toward understanding its space weather environment. More details are available from the University of Sydney press release and the ATNF ASKAP webpages. (Image credit: Mark Myers/ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav))



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