Until now, scientists have only detected similar flaring activity on our own Sun, but this source appears to be a white dwarf, the end-stage in the life of a star. Our understanding of solar flares may therefore prove extremely useful in understanding other astrophysical phenomena. The existence of stellar flares has been known for many years, but these are typically observed at optical, radio or x-ray wavelengths. This is the first time that evidence has been found for gamma-ray flares on an object other than the Sun. A white dwarf is achieved after a star exhausts all its nuclear fuel.
White dwarfs are very compact, usually the size of the Earth, but with a mass comparable to the Sun.
RE J0317-853 is highly unusual, however. McConnell points out its temperature is the highest and magnetic field is the strongest ever recorded for a white dwarf. It also has a very rapid rotation, once every 12 minutes, compared to the Sun's 27-day rotation. This process, called neutron capture, is a major contributor to gamma-ray emissions. We might be witnessing several very large flares that erupt only occasionally, or we might be witnessing a continuous or nearly continuous eruption of smaller flares across the surface of the white dwarf.