Radiation superflares make Earth-like planet uninhabitable, research suggests
by Ian Sample Science editor from on (#TXT8)
Kepler 438b, hailed as most habitable planet beyond our solar system, is regularly blasted with enough radiation to strip away its atmosphere
It was hailed as the most habitable planet ever found beyond the solar system. But now the distant world of Kepler 438b has started to look decidedly less inviting.
Astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics unveiled the small, rocky world circling the star Kepler 438 in January this year. A touch larger than Earth, in an orbit that keeps it warm enough for liquid water, but not too warm, the planet looked ripe for life.
