Red Dwarf Star’s Superflares Challenge Understanding of Stellar Activity

In April 2014, a red dwarf star within the binary system DG Canum Venaticorum (DG CVn), located approximately 60 light-years away, exhibited a series of powerful superflares. These eruptions were up to 10,000 times more energetic than the largest solar flare ever recorded from our Sun. The star’s rapid rotation, completing a full turn in less than a day, is believed to contribute to its intense magnetic activity, leading to such massive flares. This observation challenges previous assumptions that major flaring episodes from red dwarfs lasted no more than a day, as Swift detected at least seven powerful eruptions over about two weeks.