GoKawiilAstronomers detect radio signal directly from exoplanet beta Pictoris b
A team from Harvard and the University of Oregon report detecting radio emissions directly traced to beta Pictoris b, a gas giant roughly 11 times Jupiter's mass located 64 light-years away, using South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope. In their yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper, they describe rapid, recurring, highly circularly polarized bursts and persistent emission between 0.85 and 3.5 GHz, which they attribute to naturally occurring auroras from charged particles along the planet's magnetic field.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
If confirmed through peer review, this would mark the first time radio signals have been isolated from an exoplanet rather than its far brighter host star, potentially opening a new method for studying planetary magnetic fields at interstellar distances. The technique of using quasar positions to pinpoint the signal source could offer researchers a way to distinguish faint planetary emissions from stellar noise in future observations of other systems.
- Researchers detected radio emissions attributed directly to exoplanet beta Pictoris b, not its host star.
- The signal, detected via the MeerKAT telescope, is believed to result from natural auroral activity tied to the planet's magnetic field.
- The findings are described in a paper that has not yet undergone peer review.
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Published there as: “Harvard Scientists Detect Radio Signal Coming Directly From Planet Outside the Solar System”
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