<p>Just going off the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superflare" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia article</a> you posted, it says the hot jupiter superflare theory was abandoned. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The flares were initially explained by postulating giant planets in
  very close orbits, such that the magnetic fields of the star and
  planet were linked. The orbit of the planet would warp the field lines
  until the instability released magnetic field energy as a flare.
  However, no such planet has showed up as a Kepler transit and this
  theory has been abandoned.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-21T04:44:07.267Z
2018-02-21T04:44:07.267Z
userLTK
<p>Sun is more than one thousand times the mass of Jupiter, so it seems unlikely that even a very close approach by a "hot Jupiter" to its host star would cause a flare, and especially not a <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/28jun_alienflare" rel="nofollow noreferrer">superflare</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-23T03:24:10.663Z
I am not sure, what would happen if Jupiter would be much more near to the Sun. It has a strong magnetic field, and the plasma in the outer athmosphere of the Sun is a chaotic thing. (Ok, the source of this magnetic field, as far I know, is a layer of metallic hydrogen, but the Jupiter would close to the Sun, it would be evaporated long ago, leaving only a molten silicate core.)
peterh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-23T03:43:01.757Z
Many but not all flare stars are small stars compared to our sun, and some hot Jupiters are more massive than our Jupiter, so you can have mass ratios much closer than 1000 to 1.    Even so, you're probably right, at least, Kepler backs your statement up,  It's worth adding that there's still a lot we don't know about close orbit hot Jupiters.  Our telescopes can't get a close enough took.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-23T03:09:49.053Z
2018-02-23T03:09:49.053Z
Professor O
<p><em>I'm very new at Astronomy, and my knowledge is sparse. I've tried to be conscientious about my Wikipedia research but there's going to be a lot of things I don't know. Thanks for your patience.</em></p>

<hr>

<h2>BACKGROUND</h2>

<p>I had read that hot Jupiters can cause superflares due to magnetic recombination. But checking Wikipedia I came across the following:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Not all planetary transits can be detected by Kepler, since the planetary > orbit may be out of the line of sight to Earth. However, the hot Jupiters > orbit so close to the primary that the chance of a transit is about 10%. > If superflares were caused by close planets the 279 flare stars 
  discovered should have about 28 transiting companions; none of them 
  actually showed evidence of transits, effectively excluding this 
  explanation.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><em>- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superflare#Hot_Jupiters_as_an_explanation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a></em></p>

<hr>

<h2>QUESTION</h2>

<p><strong>Given this, and among modern astronomers in general, is the theory that hot Jupiters can cause superflares on the outs?</strong> Or is the article just saying that hot Jupiters can't explain these particular stars, while the model remains valid elsewhere? Do we have any solid evidence of a gas giant causing solar flares, super or otherwise?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-21T04:37:12.047Z
Could you post your reference that hot Jupiters can cause superflares due to magnetic recombination?   Was it pre kepler or post kepler?
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-21T07:11:35.520Z
The title of your question is unclear. There are no hot Jupiters in the solar system so they cannot cause solar flares. If you mean stellar flares then please be clear about whether you mean only the so-called superflares or flares of a more modest nature. There certainly have been claims for the latter.
ProfRob
<star><gas-giants><solar-flare><hot-jupiter>
Can hot Jupiters cause solar flares?
Random
# Can hot Jupiters cause solar flares?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-19)

*I'm very new at Astronomy, and my knowledge is sparse. I've tried to be conscientious about my Wikipedia research but there's going to be a lot of things I don't know. Thanks for your patience.*

---

## BACKGROUND

I had read that hot Jupiters can cause superflares due to magnetic recombination. But checking Wikipedia I came across the following:

> Not all planetary transits can be detected by Kepler, since the planetary > orbit may be out of the line of sight to Earth. However, the hot Jupiters > orbit so close to the primary that the chance of a transit is about 10%. > If superflares were caused by close planets the 279 flare stars
> discovered should have about 28 transiting companions; none of them
> actually showed evidence of transits, effectively excluding this
> explanation.

*- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superflare#Hot_Jupiters_as_an_explanation)*

---

## QUESTION

**Given this, and among modern astronomers in general, is the theory that hot Jupiters can cause superflares on the outs?** Or is the article just saying that hot Jupiters can't explain these particular stars, while the model remains valid elsewhere? Do we have any solid evidence of a gas giant causing solar flares, super or otherwise?

**Tags:** star, gas-giants, solar-flare, hot-jupiter

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Could you post your reference that hot Jupiters can cause superflares due to magnetic recombination?   Was it pre kepler or post kepler?  
> **username_2**: The title of your question is unclear. There are no hot Jupiters in the solar system so they cannot cause solar flares. If you mean stellar flares then please be clear about whether you mean only the so-called superflares or flares of a more modest nature. There certainly have been claims for the latter.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-02-21. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Just going off the [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superflare) you posted, it says the hot jupiter superflare theory was abandoned.

> The flares were initially explained by postulating giant planets in
> very close orbits, such that the magnetic fields of the star and
> planet were linked. The orbit of the planet would warp the field lines
> until the instability released magnetic field energy as a flare.
> However, no such planet has showed up as a Kepler transit and this
> theory has been abandoned.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-23. Score: 2

Sun is more than one thousand times the mass of Jupiter, so it seems unlikely that even a very close approach by a "hot Jupiter" to its host star would cause a flare, and especially not a [superflare](https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/28jun_alienflare).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I am not sure, what would happen if Jupiter would be much more near to the Sun. It has a strong magnetic field, and the plasma in the outer athmosphere of the Sun is a chaotic thing. (Ok, the source of this magnetic field, as far I know, is a layer of metallic hydrogen, but the Jupiter would close to the Sun, it would be evaporated long ago, leaving only a molten silicate core.)  
> **username_1**: Many but not all flare stars are small stars compared to our sun, and some hot Jupiters are more massive than our Jupiter, so you can have mass ratios much closer than 1000 to 1.    Even so, you're probably right, at least, Kepler backs your statement up,  It's worth adding that there's still a lot we don't know about close orbit hot Jupiters.  Our telescopes can't get a close enough took.  

---

