NASA has announced that planets believed to have the potential for hosting life are at great risk. According to data analyzed from the GALEX telescope, planets around M-type stars have a much lower potential for life than previously thought. Research suggests that intense ultraviolet bursts from these stars could threaten potential life. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA revealed that planets with the potential to host life are at great risk. M-type stars, also known as red dwarfs, are the most common type of star in the universe and are known for being quite dim compared to the Sun. They have around 10-20% of the Sun’s mass. Scientists previously believed that planets around red dwarfs had a high likelihood of supporting life due to their relatively lower surface temperatures and widespread presence in the universe. However, recent research has begun to question this assumption. According to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, planets around red dwarf stars may have a much lower probability of having conditions suitable for life than previously thought.Researchers analyzed data collected by the GALEX space telescope, which NASA discontinued in 2013 after a 10-year mission. GALEX conducted comprehensive observations by scanning the sky in both near and far ultraviolet wavelengths. Observations of approximately 300,000 stars were analyzed, focusing on explosions in red dwarfs. Computer models revealed that these stars could produce bursts at much higher levels of far-ultraviolet (UV) radiation than previously believed. It was noted that these bursts significantly reduce the habitability potential of planets around red dwarfs. The ultraviolet radiation emitted during these bursts can erode the atmospheres of planets and prevent the formation of life. According to the study, these far-UV bursts may be three times stronger than initially thought.Benjamin J. Shappee from the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy and one of the study’s authors summarized the findings as follows: “A threefold change is equivalent to the difference in UV exposure between Anchorage, Alaska, in summer and sunburn within 10 minutes in Honolulu.” Scientists are still unsure of the exact cause of these dangerous bursts in red dwarfs and aim to better understand these events through further observations and data collection.