Editing Red dwarf (section)

==Habitability==
{{Main article|Habitability of red dwarf systems}}
[[File:NASA-RedDwarfPlanet-ArtistConception-20130728.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|An artist's impression of a planet with two [[exomoon]]s orbiting in the [[habitable zone]] [[Planets orbiting red dwarfs|of a red dwarf]].]]

Modern evidence suggests that planets in red dwarf systems are extremely unlikely to be habitable. In spite of their great numbers and long lifespans, there are several factors which may make life difficult on planets around a red dwarf. First, planets in the habitable zone of a red dwarf would be so close to the parent star that they would likely be [[Tidal locking|tidally locked]]. For a nearly circular orbit, this would mean that one side would be in perpetual daylight and the other in eternal night. This could create enormous temperature variations from one side of the planet to the other. Such conditions would appear to make it difficult for forms of life similar to those on Earth to evolve. And it appears there is a great problem with the atmosphere of such tidally locked planets: the perpetual night zone would be cold enough to freeze the main gases of their atmospheres, leaving the daylight zone bare and dry. On the other hand, a theory proposes that either a thick atmosphere or planetary ocean could potentially circulate heat around such a planet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/planets-orbiting-red-dwarfs-may-stay-wet-enough-life/|title=Planets Orbiting Red Dwarfs May Stay Wet Enough for Life|publisher=Astrobiology|language=en|author=Charles Q. Choi|date=9 February 2015|access-date=15 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921050613/http://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/planets-orbiting-red-dwarfs-may-stay-wet-enough-life/ |archive-date=2015-09-21 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Furthermore, even if a red dwarf's characteristics render most of its planet's surface uninhabitable, there is a chance for life to exist around a limited region, such as the planet's [[Terminator (solar)|terminator]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raymond |first=Sean |date=2015-02-20 |title=Forget "Earth-Like" Worlds |url=https://nautil.us/forget-earth_likewell-first-find-aliens-on-eyeball-planets-235308/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=Nautilus |language=en-US}}</ref>

Variability in stellar energy output may also have negative impacts on the development of life. Red dwarfs are often [[flare star]]s, which can emit gigantic flares, doubling their brightness in minutes. This variability makes it difficult for life to develop and persist near a red dwarf.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vida |first1=K. |last2=Kővári |first2=Zs. |last3=Pál |first3=A. |last4=Oláh |first4=K. |last5=Kriskovics |first5=L.  |display-authors=etal|title=Frequent Flaring in the TRAPPIST-1 System - Unsuited for Life? |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=2017 |volume=841 |issue=2 |page=2 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aa6f05 |bibcode=2017ApJ...841..124V|arxiv=1703.10130 |s2cid=118827117 |doi-access=free }}</ref> While it may be possible for a planet orbiting close to a red dwarf to keep its atmosphere even if the star flares, more-recent research suggests that these stars may be the source of constant high-energy flares and very large magnetic fields, diminishing the possibility of life as we know it.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine = Scientific American |url = https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/red-star-rising/ |title = Red Star Rising|first = Mark|last =  Alpert|date = 1 November 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=Gizmodo |url=https://gizmodo.com/this-stormy-star-means-alien-life-may-be-rarer-than-we-1743540362 |title=This Stormy Star Means Alien Life May Be Rarer Than We Thought |author=George Dvorsky |date=2015-11-19 |access-date=2019-07-10}}</ref>