Big Blast
A monstrous flare of radiation erupts from the surface of EV Lacertae in this artist's concept. An orbiting X-ray satellite discovered the eruption on April 25. It was thousands of times more powerful than any flare ever recorded from the Sun. EV Lacertae is a red dwarf star, which is much smaller and cooler than the Sun. Such stars have complex magnetic fields that spawn flares and other events. EV Lacertae is also a young star, so it spins much faster than the Sun, producing a stronger magnetic field. [NASA/Casey Reed]
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