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Stars

Sunspots, Flares, and Solar Wind

Do all stars have spots, prominences, flares, mass ejections, and winds?

Yes, in varying degrees all stars have these characteristics. The Sun, compared to most stars we know, is relatively quiet in its stormy activity. That is very good news for living things on Earth, which generally cannot survive too much disruption. Some stars have huge flares constantly erupting from them; others actually have most of their surface covered with spots. If there were planets orbiting those stars, the electromagnetic results in the environments there would probably not support life as we know it.



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