New research suggests that red dwarf stars, the most common stars in the Milky Way, may be even less hospitable to life than previously thought.

These stars may emit intense ultraviolet (UV) light radiation flares that significantly reduce the habitability of their planets.

Scientists reached this conclusion by analyzing data from NASA’s now-decommissioned Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission, which scanned the universe for UV flares from about 300,000 nearby stars from 2003 until 2013.

The study found that these harmful flares are more common than previously believed. “Few stars were thought to generate enough UV radiation through flares to impact planet habitability.

Our findings show that many more stars may have this capability,” said team leader and University of Cambridge researcher Vera Berger, Space.com has reported.

The team used modern computer techniques to process the GALEX data, yielding new insights into red dwarfs.

Written by B.C. Begley