Archive · 23 Sep 2026
First Radio Signals Directly Localized to Exoplanet Beta Pictoris b
Scientists found repeating radio signals coming from a planet outside our solar system.
The planet is called Beta Pictoris b and is about 63 light-years away.
They used the MeerKAT radio telescope array in South Africa to study the system.
Earlier observations could not show whether radio activity came from the star or one of its planets.
This time, the signal was traced directly to Beta Pictoris b.
The signal is not a message from aliens.
Scientists think it comes from enormous auroras, similar to Earth’s Northern and Southern Lights.
The planet spins very quickly, which may help create strong electrical currents.
The discovery gives scientists a new way to study magnetic fields on distant planets.
Researchers localized repeating radio bursts to Beta Pictoris b, about 63 light-years from Earth.
MeerKAT observations distinguished the emissions from the planet rather than its parent star.
The bursts are attributed to powerful auroras caused by charged particles and the planet’s magnetic field.
Beta Pictoris b rotates every eight to nine hours and may have a magnetic field about 2,500 times stronger than Earth’s.
The findings are available on arXiv but have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
- Who
- Researchers from the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the University of Oregon.
- What
- They detected and localized repeating, highly circularly polarized radio emissions from the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b.
- When
- The articles report that MeerKAT detected the signals four times in 2025 and 2026; the findings are available on arXiv.
- Where
- The signals came from Beta Pictoris b, roughly 63 to 63.4 light-years from Earth, and were detected with the MeerKAT array in South Africa.
- Why
- Scientists believe the emissions are planetary auroras, and studying them provides a way to measure and understand exoplanetary magnetic fields.
- Exoplanet
- Beta Pictoris b
- Distance from Earth
- Approximately 63 to 63.4 light-years
- Detection instrument
- MeerKAT radio telescope array in South Africa
- Observations
- The signals were detected four times in 2025 and 2026
- Signal frequencies
- 0.85 to 3.5 GHz
- Rotation period
- Approximately eight to nine hours
- Estimated magnetic field
- Roughly 2,500 times stronger than Earth’s
- Publication status
- Available on arXiv and not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal
