May 2, 2023

Artist's concept of the superflare in the Orionis V1355 system (Image courtesy National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)

An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports the detection of a superflare in the V1355 Orionis system, a pair of stars of the variable RS Canum Venaticorum type, which features a more massive and evolved star than its companion. A team of researchers used space and ground-based telescopes to monitor the activity of the V1355 Orionis system, known for its powerful eruptions. This allowed to obtain continuous observations of this phenomenon, which was generated by a process called prominence eruption. This study offers new insights into these stellar phenomena that also occur on the Sun, albeit with a much smaller force.