Hubble and ground telescopes capture the first multi-temperature Plasma eruption from a young sun-like star

If you think your morning mood swings are bad, wait until you hear what young stars do. Instead of coffee, they start their day by hurling billions of tonnes of plasma into space, a sort of cosmic temper tantrum. Scientists say our own Sun wasn’t much better in its youth, flaring up with massive outbursts that could strip atmospheres, cook planets, and maybe even help spark life itself. Now, astronomers studying a fiery young star called EK Draconis have finally caught one of these outbursts in the act, offering a rare glimpse into how our solar system’s most temperamental parent behaved billions of years ago.



Astronomers observe the first multi-temperature plasma eruption from a young sun-like star
Billions of years ago, when the solar system was still forming, the Sun was far more active and volatile than it is today. Now, a ground breaking study by an international team of astronomers has offered the first direct glimpse into what those violent early years might have looked like, by observing a young, sun-like star unleashing colossal bursts of plasma into space.

The study, led by Kyoto University and published in Nature Astronomy, focuses on EK Draconis, a young solar analogue that offers scientists a window into the Sun’s turbulent youth. Using simultaneous observations from both space and ground-based telescopes, the team has detected a multi-temperature coronal mass ejection (CME), the first such evidence observed in a young star.



Understanding Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)
The Sun regularly releases massive clouds of charged particles known as coronal mass ejections. These plasma eruptions, often triggered by solar flares, can travel millions of kilometres through space, occasionally reaching Earth. When they collide with our planet’s magnetic field, they can trigger auroras, geomagnetic storms, and even disrupt satellite communications and power grids.

While today’s Sun is relatively stable, scientists believe that during its youth, about 4.5 billion years ago, it was prone to frequent and powerful CMEs. These explosive outbursts might have significantly shaped the early atmospheres of Earth, Mars, and Venus, influencing both planetary chemistry and the emergence of life itself.



New clues emerge about the Sun’s violent youth and its impact on early Earth
For decades, astronomers have sought to understand just how intense these ancient solar eruptions were. “What inspired us most was the long-standing mystery of how the young Sun's violent activity influenced the nascent Earth,” explains Kosuke Namekata of Kyoto University, who co-led the study.

Until now, most evidence came from solar proxies, young stars resembling the Sun in its infancy. Observations had revealed that these stars frequently produce superflares, some hundreds of times stronger than any flare observed in modern times. Yet, direct proof of corresponding strong CMEs remained elusive.



Coordinated observations reveal how young stars launch colossal plasma blasts
To unravel this mystery, the researchers conducted simultaneous, multi-wavelength observations of EK Draconis. They combined:

Ultraviolet data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope , which detected emissions from hot plasma, and

Optical data from ground-based telescopes in Japan and Korea, which captured hydrogen “Hα line” signatures tracing cooler gases.

This coordinated approach allowed scientists to observe both the hot and cool components of the stellar ejection in real time, providing a complete picture of a CME’s dynamics.



A fiery explosion caught in detail
Their results were striking. The team recorded a hot plasma burst, reaching temperatures of 100,000 Kelvin, racing into space at speeds of 300 to 550 kilometres per second. Roughly 10 minutes later, a second wave of cooler gas (about 10,000 Kelvin) followed at a slower pace of 70 kilometres per second.

This sequence mirrors the multi-phase structure of solar CMEs, confirming that young sun-like stars produce similar, but far more energetic, eruptions. The findings suggest that during its youth, the Sun likely ejected such plasma storms much more frequently, dramatically affecting nearby planetary environments.



Implications for early Earth and planetary life
The implications of this discovery extend beyond stellar physics. Powerful CMEs are believed to have shaped the early Earth’s atmosphere, influencing the chemistry that allowed life to emerge.

The energetic particles produced by these eruptions could have driven chemical reactions, forming biomolecules and greenhouse gases essential for warming the planet and supporting primitive life forms. At the same time, excessive solar activity might have stripped the atmospheres of other planets like Mars and Venus, explaining their stark differences from Earth today.

“The hot plasma carried much greater energy than cool plasma,” explains Namekata. “Frequent strong CMEs in the past could drive shocks and energetic particles capable of eroding or chemically altering early planetary atmospheres.”



Reconstructing the solar system’s early weather
By studying stars like EK Draconis, scientists are effectively looking back in time, reconstructing the space weather of the early solar system. These insights help explain how Earth became habitable while its neighbouring planets did not.

“The success of this study came from the collaboration of observatories across Japan, Korea, and the United States,” notes Namekata. “We were happy to see that, although our countries differ, we share the same goal of seeking truth through science.”