Published : 23 Sep 2026, 07:28 PM
Updated : 23 Sep 2026, 07:28 PM
Scientists have detected radio waves from an exoplanet for the first time, offering possible evidence of an aurora and a powerful magnetic field on a world beyond the solar system, according to Science News.
The radio signals came from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant orbiting a young star about 63 light-years away.
Using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, researchers were able to trace the signals to the planet rather than its host star, per cited in the report. That distinction has been a major challenge in previous attempts to detect radio waves from exoplanets.
“Auroras are the source of Earth’s northern lights” and are produced when charged particles interact with a planet’s magnetic field. Those particles can also generate circularly polarised radio waves, which were detected from Beta Pictoris b, Science News stated.
The researchers estimated that the planet’s magnetic field exceeds 1,000 gauss, compared with about half a gauss for Earth. Science News reported that the field is exceptionally strong, though such strength is plausible for a planet about 10 times as massive as Jupiter.
Astronomer Yvette Cendes of the University of Oregon said the team could “rule out the star” and attribute the radio emission to the planet itself.
The findings, submitted to arXiv on Sept 15, have not yet undergone peer review. Astronomer Joe Callingham of the University of Amsterdam, who was not involved in the study, described the result as “an incredibly exciting advancement” if it withstands peer review, the website for science related issues said.
Researchers say further observations could strengthen the case by showing the radio signals pulsating as the planet rotates. Beta Pictoris b is thought to complete a rotation roughly every eight hours.
