Radio signal detected for the first time from a planet outside our solar system
The bursts point to an intense planetary magnetic field and mark the first radio emission securely traced to an exoplanet, researchers said.
- Researchers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and the University of Oregon reported last week the first direct detection of auroral radio emission from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant 64 light-years from Earth.
- The radio bursts originate from Electron Cyclotron Maser Instability , an auroral process similar to those on Earth and Jupiter, solving the long-standing challenge of distinguishing exoplanet signals from host star emissions.
- Using distant quasars as reference points to map the sky, astronomers isolated the signal and calculated a magnetic field strength of at least 1,250 gauss—thousands of times stronger than Earth's 0.5 gauss.
- Astrophysicist Suzanne Aigrain emphasized the signals stem from natural phenomena, stating "this is definitely not aliens," while the discovery marks the first direct measurement of an exoplanet's magnetic field.
- The findings, submitted September 15 to arXiv, await formal peer review, though researchers plan to examine 7 other known giant exoplanets across 5 nearby systems using the same detection method.
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When talking about radio signals coming from space, the idea of an extraterrestrial civilization arises almost immediately. However, the discovery in Beta Pictoris b has a natural explanation. Researchers have managed to locate radio emissions on this distant planet, in an advance that can help study the magnetic fields of other worlds. A [...]
Protothema
gazzetta.grA strange radio signal detected in deep space has led astronomers to an unprecedented discovery of a distant exoplanet.
Astronomers claim to have directly detected radio emission from a planet outside the solar system for the first time. However, despite the fact that the mention of a radio signal from deep space could immediately fuel stories of extraterrestrial life, scientists point out that its origin is quite different - the signal most likely reveals the existence of an extremely strong magnetic field of the planet.
The signal comes from aurora generated by the interaction of high-energy particles with the planet's magnetic field, with a magnetic field "200 times more powerful than Jupiter's"
Researchers link these emissions to aurora caused by an extraordinarily powerful magnetic field around the planet
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