Stellar Tantrums and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life - Yuping Huang - 11/17/2023

Sometimes stars throw a tantrum, releasing charged particles outwards in space. What impact will these eruptions have on the development of life elsewhere in the Universe? Join us for a 30-minute lecture investigating stellar outbursts, followed by a panel Q&A consisting of several astrophysicists to answer your questions about astrophysics and space science. Timestamps below:
00:00 Announcements
04:47 Intro to Stellar Tantrums Presentation
05:37 Stellar Tantrums Presentation
29:10 Q&A for Stellar Tantrums Presentation
29:18 "What have we learned about Mars' magnetic field?"
30:59 "Do dwarf stars grow as they age?"
32:18 "What about alpha centauri?"
33:32 "What happens when Mars loses all of its atmosphere?"
35:27 "How can stars act like particle accelerators?"
39:56 Intermission
44:21 Q&A Panel Introductions
48:19 "Would a Dyson Sphere work better around a red dwarf star?"
50:19 "Did Mars previously have a dense atmosphere like Earth?"
51:20 "What is the timescale for orbiting binary stars?"
53:52 "How do we simulate galaxies without having observed their whole past lives?"
57:50 "When will we directly observe planets around other stars?"
1:00:16 "Why does the moon have phases?"
1:03:34 "Are there advantages to space-based radio telescope?"
1:05:00 "Tell us about observing supernovae"
1:12:56 "How many exoplanets have been scorched by their host stars?"
1:18:19 "Could Earth lose its magnetic field and atmosphere?"
1:20:21 "What are obvious things in space we do not understand?"
1:27:41 "Were Miyake events more powerful than the Carrington Event?"
1:29:18 "Why are red dwarf stars 'angrier' than our own Sun?"
1:35:41 "Can we actually see the solar wind?"
1:39:32 "Is the Moon responsible for the Earth's magnetic field?"
1:41:16 "Why is the solar corona hotter than the solar surface?"
1:42:20 "What is the origin of planets not orbiting stars? Ejected or isolated formation?"
1:46:16 "Are other solar systems similar to or different from our own?"
1:48:18 "What is the new evidence for the impactor that struck the Earth long ago?"
1:50:07 Concluding Remarks
* Cameron mistakenly calls the "Parker Solar Probe" the "Solar Parker Probe." It's probing the Sun, not Eugene Parker---oops.
** Please forgive some of the audio cutting out. The auditorium amp broke just prior to this event, and we had to use a backup sound system with only one wireless microphone. So there are a few moments when it's difficult to hear audience members asking questions or the first part of the response as the one microphone gets passed around. It will be fixed by our next event.
Title: Stellar Tantrums and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Speaker: Yuping Huang
Abstract:
The Sun throws a tantrum from time to time, sending a powerful eruption of charged particles outward through the solar system known as a coronal mass ejection. Sometimes these outbursts strike the earth's magnetic field, causing geomagnetic storms and the beautiful celestial displays known as aurora or the Northern Lights. In 1859, the most intense geomagnetic storm on record, known as the Carrington event, hit Earth. This storm produced an aurora visible as far south as the Caribbean, shutting down telegraph stations all over North America and Europe. Other stars that we observe to host planets, especially red dwarfs, can be much grumpier than the Sun, potentially leading to significantly more energetic and frequent eruptions. In this talk, we explore what we know about stellar tantrums beyond the Solar system, and what it may mean for the development of life around other stars.
Poster Photo Credit: Miguel Claro, www.miguelclaro.com

[@Fadem12forReal]

This was great

[@zapfanzapfan]

Interesting but I had to sleep a bit before the Starship launch 🚀

[@Frostything]

I'm not the only one who sees a cat praying to the sun in the thumbnail, am I?