Red Dwarf Stars are born in the same way as other Main Sequence Stars. First of all, huge clouds of gas and dust start coming closer to each other due to gravity and slowly start rotating. All the matter slowly starts gathering in the center, due to which the temperature here starts increasing at a very fast speed. And when the temperature of its core goes beyond a particular critical temperature, then fusion starts in it.
During this, the very high temperature of its core starts fusing the hydrogen present in it into helium, during which a very large amount of energy is released. All the stars present in our universe produce energy in the same way. But red dwarf stars are considered the smallest stars in our universe; their mass is usually around 8 percent to 50 percent of the mass of our sun. Due to their small size, they are able to release very little energy. The average temperature of their surface is about 3,500 degrees Celsius, but the average temperature of our sun is about 5,500 degrees Celsius.
Due to their low temperature and small size, they are so dim and very difficult to find. Red dwarf stars fuse the hydrogen present in their core very slowly. Because of this, their age is much longer than that of other stars. When they exhaust all the fuel present in their core, then their outer layer ends and only their core remains, which is known as white dwarfs.
These white dwarfs remain alive for several billion years due to the heat present inside them, but gradually their heat also ends, and they take the form of black dwarfs. Which is their inactive core.
Usually, all stars ages are around 10 to 12 billion years, like our sun.These red dwarf stars can evolve from 1000 billion years to about 10000 billion years. If this is compared with the age of our universe, which is 13.8 billion years, then it is so much. That means, since the birth of our universe, no Red Dwarf Star has crossed even 1 percent of its age. From this, you can at least guess how long these red dwarf stars can survive.
In the coming future, these stars will continue to illuminate the planets in their orbit and this vast universe with their light for the longest time. The death of these stars will happen last when the last star present in our universe will end and this entire universe will go into the era of darkness, where only Black Holes will be left.
During initial studies, scientists considered these red dwarf stars to be brown dwarfs due to their extremely low temperature and brightness. Because these stars appear like Brown Dwarf Stars in size and mass, it is very difficult to separate them from each other. Brown dwarfs are very cold and dim and are formed in a similar way to red dwarf stars.
But the temperature of their core never reaches the critical temperature where fusion can start inside them, due to which they are also called failed stars. Which look like stars but are not actually stars. Red Dwarf Stars have a very long age, due to which life gets a lot of time to evolve on the planets present in their orbit. These stars can remain the same for several billion years, due to which the planets around them take a long time to evolve. It took about 1 billion years for life to develop on our planet.
That means, during these 1 billion years, the conditions were absolutely right for life to flourish on our planet. It takes hundreds of billions of years for life to flourish on the planets around these red dwarf stars, which is a very long time. In such a long time, many types of complex life can evolve on these planets, even in the harshest environments.
But these stars are very cold and generate very little energy, due to which their habitable zone is very close to them. According to an estimate, their average habitable zone may be about 25 times closer to our sun. Because of this, the planets present in their habitable zone are very close to them. There is a great possibility that these planets are in their habitable zone and locked to their stars.
Which means that one side of these planets is always towards their star, where there is always light, and the other side is always darkness. That is, the temperature of these planets is high enough for life to flourish where liquid water turns into gas and evaporates. On the other hand, the temperature is too cold for life to flourish where liquid water freezes in solid form.
Also, during the study done for many years, it has been seen that these red dwarf stars emit very dangerous solar flares and radiation, which have the power to destroy any type of life form present on their planets in one stroke. In such a situation, there is very little possibility that any kind of life can exist on the planets around these stars.
But on Earth, scientists have found evidence of life in extremely hot volcanoes, extremely cold glaciers, and even in empty space. In such a situation, scientists hope that some kind of life can flourish even in the dangerous environment of the planets around these red dwarf stars.
During many years of research, scientists have discovered Earth-like rocky planets revolving around these red dwarf stars. These stars are very cool and dim, due to which the planets present in their orbit do not get lost due to the bright light of their stars, and it is very easy to find and study them. NASA's Kepler and TESS telescopes have discovered and studied the planets orbiting these stars for a long time. And during this time, they have discovered some such star systems where life can exist.
Life in the Proxima Centauri Star System
The nearest star system to our Earth is Alpha Centauri, which is located at a distance of about 4.2 light years from us. There are a total of three stars in this star system. Out of which two stars are binary stars, which revolve around each other in a common orbit. The third star in this star system is Proxima Centauri, which is a red dwarf star. It is only 12 percent of our Sun in mass and is only 0.1 percent brighter than our Sun.
After many years of searching, scientists discovered the planet in its orbit, Proxima Centauri b, which could be an Earth-sized rocky planet. This planet is present in the habitable zone of its star, where liquid water can remain in its liquid state for a long time. Because of this, there is the highest possibility of the existence of some kind of life here.
But the Proxima Centauri Star is much smaller and less bright than our Sun, due to which its habitable zone is about 25 times closer than the habitable zone of our Sun. Proxima Centauri b orbits its star very closely, and it takes only 11 days to complete one revolution around its star. Because of this, many scientists believe that it may also be tidally locked to its star. In such a situation, the possibility of the existence of any kind of life on this planet is very low.
There is a great possibility that this planet may have more liquid water than our Earth and perhaps some kind of life as well. Besides, there are two more such planets present in this star system, which are present around the habitable zone of their star. The “Trappist 1 d” planet is present in the inner edge of its star's habitable zone, while the “Trappist 1 h” planet is present in its outer zone. In such a situation, scientists hope that an environment suitable for life may exist on these planets too.
Summary and FAQ
Scientists hope that an environment suitable for life may exist on these planets too. Scientists are studying these star systems very closely, and in the coming time, they may discover more such star systems where there are possibilities for life to flourish. Here are the answers to some questions that could arise in your mind:
1. Is there life on any planet?
Scientists have found many star systems and exoplanets where life is possible.
2. What is the Trappist Star System?
It is a solar system where scientists have found life possibilities and habitable zones for humans.
3. Is s red dwarf A Dying star?
Red dwarf stars have extended life. But like all the other stars, they burn because of there supply of fuel.
4. How long can a red dwarf star burn?
Scientists have predicted that red dwarf stars can burn for trillion years.
5. Which star is brightest?
