flare star


nounAstronomy.
  1. a dwarf star that exhibits sudden increases of magnitude similar to solar flares.

Origin of flare star

1
First recorded in 1950–55

Words Nearby flare star

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British Dictionary definitions for flare star

flare star

noun
  1. a red dwarf star in which outbursts, thought to be analogous to solar flares, occur, increasing the luminosity by several magnitudes in a few minutes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for flare star

flare star

[ flâr ]


  1. A variable star that sporadically displays sudden increases in brightness, sometimes becoming six times as bright in a matter of only a few minutes, after which it gradually fades back to its normal brightness. The cause of this phenomenon is thought to be an event similar to a solar flare, but on a more intense scale with a much higher emission of x-rays.

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