A new study published in The Astronomical Journal has revealed a connection between solar flares and short-term weather patterns on distant Earth-like planets, which may help refine our understanding of short-term atmospheric shifts on Earth.
The Effects of transient stellar emissions on planetary climates of tidally-locked exo-earths study, which was led by scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, NASA, the Florida Institute of Technology, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the University of Oxford, offers the clearest evidence yet that space weather – particularly flares from a planet’s host star – can cause measurable changes in a planet’s climate within just days of an event.
“This study highlights an underexplored but important solar-climate link,” said Dr. Assaf Hochman, from the Institute of Earth Sciences at Hebrew University. “While anthropogenic greenhouse gases primarily drive long-term climate change, we now see that short-term solar variability can also play a role in modulating regional climate behavior.”
The international team used advanced 3D general circulation models to simulate how sudden flares from host stars affect the climate on tidally locked exo-Earths such as TRAPPIST-1e, a planet that always shows the same face to its sun.
The study’s results revealed a chain reaction:
- Upper atmospheric cooling occurs quickly after a flare, driven by radiative emissions from molecules like NO and CO₂.
- Simultaneously, lower atmospheric warming happens due to increases in greenhouse-like gases such as H₂O and N₂O.
- Wind speeds in the middle atmosphere can intensify dramatically — surging to over 140km/h on the dark, night side of the planet.
What it means for Earth’s weather
While the focus of the study was on distant worlds, the findings open possibilities for Earth’s climate systems too, according to the researchers. The patterns observed suggest that solar activity may temporarily alter a planet’s general atmospheric circulation, resulting in short-lived regional anomalies that could be especially noticeable in already volatile weather zones.
The research emphasizes that while solar flares aren’t a major driver of Earth’s long-term climate compared to human activity, their effects are real, detectable and worth factoring into future atmospheric models, especially in regions sensitive to abrupt changes in temperature and wind.