Solar storms can trigger auroras on Earth. This star’s explosion could destroy a planet’s atmosphere

For the first time, astronomers say they have spotted a giant explosion released by a star beyond our solar system. The eruption was similar in some ways to those unleashed by our sun, such as the solar storms that graced the night skies with auroras last week on Earth, but at a much grander — and ominous — scale.

Rather than triggering colorful northern lights, this powerful explosion was more likely to have potentially devastating consequences for any nearby planet, according to new research.

Read more: [https://cnn.it/3X1ucOh](https://cnn.it/3X1ucOh)