Researchers have reported the first clear detection of a coronal mass ejection from a star other than the Sun, traced to red dwarf StKM 1-1262 (~130 light-years away) and published in Nature. The eruption was detected with LOFAR and ESA’s XMM-Newton and traveled about 1,491 miles per second (~2,400 km/s). Given the star’s magnetic strength (~300× the Sun) and the CME’s speed, such blasts could strip atmospheres from nearby planets, raising concerns about habitability for many exoplanets orbiting red dwarfs.
First Confirmed Coronal Mass Ejection from Another Star — Red Dwarf’s Planet‑Stripping Blast
Researchers have reported the first clear detection of a coronal mass ejection from a star other than the Sun, traced to red dwarf StKM 1-1262 (~130 light-years away) and published in Nature. The eruption was detected with LOFAR and ESA’s XMM-Newton and traveled about 1,491 miles per second (~2,400 km/s). Given the star’s magnetic strength (~300× the Sun) and the CME’s speed, such blasts could strip atmospheres from nearby planets, raising concerns about habitability for many exoplanets orbiting red dwarfs.
04:03 AM, 11/13/2025Science
First confirmed stellar CME could reshape how we think about habitability
Skywatchers can once again thank the Sun for recent auroral displays, but astronomers have just confirmed a far more dramatic event: for the first time, researchers have detected a coronal mass ejection (CME) that originated from a star other than the Sun. The discovery, reported in Nature, identifies a fast, dense eruption from the red dwarf StKM 1-1262, roughly 130 light-years away.
How the eruption was detected
The team first noticed a brief, intense radio burst with the LOFAR telescope array. Follow-up observations with the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory allowed the researchers to pinpoint the signal to StKM 1-1262 and to conclude that plasma had escaped the star’s magnetic field — the key signature of a CME.
“Astronomers have sought a direct detection of a stellar CME for decades,” said Joe Callingham (ASTRON), a co-author of the study. “Past work suggested they might occur, but hadn’t convincingly shown material escaping the star. We have now confirmed that for the first time.”
What makes this eruption notable
StKM 1-1262 is a red dwarf with a magnetic field roughly 300 times stronger than the Sun’s, despite having only about half the Sun’s mass. The detected CME traveled at approximately 1,491 miles per second (about 2,400 km/s) — a velocity reached by only about one in every 2,000 solar CMEs. At that speed and concentration, such an eruption could strip the atmosphere from a nearby planet.
Implications for exoplanet habitability
Most known exoplanets orbit red dwarfs, so frequent, powerful CMEs from these stars could pose a severe threat to atmospheric retention and long-term habitability. Even planets located in the so-called Goldilocks (habitable) zone might lose their atmospheres over time if exposed to repeated, intense space weather.
“It appears intense space weather could be even more extreme around smaller stars — the main hosts of potentially habitable exoplanets,” said Henrik Eklund (ESA), co-author of the study. “This has important implications for how these planets keep hold of their atmospheres and possibly remain habitable over time.”
Beyond the habitability question, the detection opens a new window into stellar activity and the physics of magnetic eruptions on stars unlike the Sun. Future multiwavelength monitoring of active red dwarfs will help determine how common such planet‑stripping CMEs are and refine assessments of exoplanet environments across the Milky Way.