Odd little star has magnetic personality

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Artists rendition of what the magnetic fields and surface might look like on TVLM513-46546. Note that the hot-spot that is estimated to cover up to 50 percent of the surface area of the star is oriented to the left of the star and is not entirely vis ...
Artist's rendition of what the magnetic fields and surface might look like on TVLM513-46546. Note that the hot-spot that is estimated to cover up to 50 percent of the surface area of the star is oriented to the left of the star and is not entirely visible in this orientation. Credit: Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital Animation

A dwarf star with a surprisingly magnetic personality and a huge hot spot covering half its surface area is showing astronomers that life as a cool dwarf is not necessarily as simple and quiet as they once assumed.


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