NYU Abu Dhabi researchers study how stars can strip a planet’s atmosphere

Researchers in Abu Dhabi are studying how a planet’s relationship with its star can affect its ability to support life.

A new study by NYU Abu Dhabi found that emissions from stars can strip away the atmosphere of the planets orbiting them. Scientists believe that planets with no atmosphere are uninhabitable.

Results of the study were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society this month. The research was led by Dr Dimitra Atri with involvement from graduate student Shane Carberry Mogan.

After looking at 493 stars outside the solar system, it was found that extreme ultraviolet radiation and stellar flares from some categories of host stars can destroy the upper atmosphere of the planets orbiting them.

“We have identified exoplanets in the M0 to M4 (host stars) category are the least likely to be habitable, because their atmospheres will be completely eroded from extreme ultraviolet radiation,” Dr Atri told The National.

So far, scientists have discovered 4,000 planets around more than 3,000 host stars. However, none have shown habitable conditions similar to Earth’s.

To find distant planets that can support life, researchers look at planets in habitable regions of space known as the Goldilocks Zone. This is an area where planets are neither too far nor too close from their host star, allowing them to sustain water.

For example, Earth is far enough away from the Sun to avoid radiation but is close enough to remain warm.

“Given the close proximity of exoplanets to host stars, it is vital to understand how space weather events tied to those stars can affect the habitability of the exoplanet,” Dr Atri said.

His study showed that lighter stars that get less excessive radiation have more chances of having habitable planets orbiting them.

These findings could help scientists take a host star’s radiation levels into account when trying to determine an exoplanet’s ability to support life.

Dr Atri used data from Nasa’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite observatory for his study.

“The next research step would be to expand our data set to analyse stellar flares from a larger variety of stars to see the long-term effects of stellar activity, and to identify more potentially habitable exoplanets,” he said.

Dr Atri also hopes to use data from UAE’s Emirates Mars Mission and analyse how the Red Planet lost most of its atmosphere.

Scientists believe the planet once supported life.

The next research step would be to expand our data set to analyse stellar flares from a larger variety of stars

DR DIMITRA ATRI

Scientist