Astronomers Detect Radio Signals Coming Directly From an Exoplanet
Scientists have detected and localized radio emissions from a planet outside our Solar System for the first time, providing new information about its magnetic field.
Astronomers have reported the first confirmed detection of radio signals originating directly from an exoplanet rather than its host star. The discovery was made by researchers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and the University of Oregon, who observed the Beta Pictoris star system using the MeerKAT radio telescope array in South Africa. The system is located about 63.4 light-years from Earth.
The radio emissions were traced to Beta Pictoris b, a large gas-giant planet orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris. Researchers detected short, recurring bursts of radio waves between 0.85 and 3.5 gigahertz during observations conducted on four occasions in 2025 and 2026. The signals were strongly circularly polarized, a characteristic associated with auroral radio emissions produced by interactions between charged particles and planetary magnetic fields.
Scientists used distant quasars as reference points to determine where the radio emissions originated. This allowed the team to distinguish the planet’s signal from radio activity coming from the much larger star. Researchers said the observations are consistent with a process called Electron Cyclotron Maser Instability, which is also responsible for radio emissions associated with auroras on planets such as Earth and Jupiter.
The discovery also provides a way to study the magnetic environment of distant planets. Based on the radio emissions, researchers estimate that Beta Pictoris b has a very strong magnetic field, potentially thousands of times stronger than Earth’s. The planet is also much larger than Earth, with a mass estimated at around 10 times that of Jupiter, and it rotates rapidly, completing a rotation in roughly eight to nine hours.
Scientists stressed that the discovery is not evidence of extraterrestrial life or an intentional communication from another civilization. Instead, the radio waves are understood as a natural consequence of the planet’s auroral activity and magnetic environment. The researchers are now interested in searching for similar signals from other giant exoplanets, while future radio observatories with greater sensitivity could make such detections more common. The research is currently available as a preprint and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
