From WIRED · Jorge Garay · · 2m
Radio signals detected from an exoplanet
Astronomers have detected radio emissions from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant 63 light-years away, marking the first confirmed radio signals from another world.
In brief
Astronomers have detected radio emissions from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant 63 light-years away, marking the first confirmed radio signals from another world. Researchers at Harvard and the University of Oregon detected radio emissions from the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b using the MeerKAT radio telescope, the first…
A young planetary system nearby
Approximately sixty three light-years from Earth lies Beta Pictoris, a planetary system less than one percent as old as our solar system. It contains a star more massive than the sun, three giant planets, and a huge disk of dust and debris.
The middle planet is a newborn giant
Beta Pictoris b is a gas giant several times more massive than Jupiter. At just a few tens of millions of years old, it is a newborn planet in astronomical terms. Its youth keeps it hot and bright, making it one of the most extensively studied exoplanets.
Radio signals detected from the planet
Researchers at Harvard and the University of Oregon claim that Beta Pictoris b is the source of radio emissions, recorded by the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. This is the first time radio signals have been unequivocally detected on another world.
The signals come from magnetic activity
The signal is of natural origin, not alien. The characteristics of the radio waves match theoretical predictions for magnetic fields generated by young, massive planets. Charged particles trapped in the planet's powerful magnetic field accelerate and release energy as radio waves.
A breakthrough after years of attempts
The team detected several radio calls and pinpointed their origin directly to an exoplanet for the first time, something scientists have been trying to achieve for years. In twenty twenty three, bursts were detected in the YZ Ceti system, but researchers could not rule out that emissions came from the star.
Beta Pictoris has a storied history
In nineteen eighty four, Beta Pictoris became the first star around which a disk of dust and debris was directly photographed. That image suggested planet-forming processes might be taking place there, though astronomers were unable to confirm the existence of any planets at that time.
The key point
Researchers at Harvard and the University of Oregon detected radio emissions from the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b using the MeerKAT radio telescope, the first time radio signals have been unequivocally detected from another world.
