red dwarf
nounDefinition of red dwarf
: a star having substantially lower surface temperature, intrinsic luminosity, mass, and size than the sun
Examples of red dwarf in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But in the environment of a red dwarf star, which pumps out high levels of ultraviolet radiation and frequent flares, such a thin atmosphere would almost certainly be blown away, according to NASA. — Jay Bennett, Smithsonian, "Astronomers Spy the Surface of An Airless Mercury-Like World," 21 Aug. 2019 But Loeb counters that what happens in the immediate vicinity of a red dwarf star is relevant to more remote planets. — Adam Mann, Scientific American, "Scientists Mull the Astrobiological Implications of an Airless Alien Planet," 19 Aug. 2019 Based on these observations, the researchers calculated that the red dwarf probably blasts out superflares at least five times per year. — Mike Wall, Space.com, "'Superflares' May Make It Hard for Life to Thrive on Earth's Nearest Exoplanet," 12 Apr. 2018 But red dwarfs are incredibly active stars, frequently firing off superpowerful flares that can bathe orbiting worlds in punishing radiation. — Mike Wall, Space.com, "Could Alien Life Handle the Radiation in 3-Star Alpha Centauri System?," 12 June 2018 Because red dwarfs are so much cooler than our Sun, the planet can be this close without getting charred to a crisp. — William Herkewitz, Popular Mechanics, "Earth-Like Planet Found Orbiting the Nearest Star to the Sun," 24 Aug. 2016 Sometimes, this can be quite tricky for red dwarf stars, which are notoriously tempestuous and prone to erupting in massive flares. — Nadia Drake, National Geographic, "Two potentially life-friendly planets found orbiting a nearby star," 18 June 2019 Barnard’s star is also a very small and dim type of star known as a red dwarf. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "A cold ‘super-Earth’ may live around a nearby star," 14 Nov. 2018 Barnard's star is a red dwarf that is only six light years from our Solar System; only the three stars of the Centauri system are closer. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Sun’s closest solo star may have company," 14 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'red dwarf.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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