Astronomers Directly Detect Radio Emissions from Exoplanet Beta Pictoris b

A team led by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics researchers detected repetitive radio bursts coming from Beta Pictoris b, a massive gas giant 63 light-years from Earth. Using the MeerKAT radio telescope network, they observed auroral-type emissions that require an exceptionally strong magnetic field, which they estimate to be at least 200 times stronger than Jupiter’s. The planet, discovered in 2008 and part of a young 23-million-year-old system, orbits a star 1.75 times the mass of the Sun. The magnetic field likely creates a protective magnetosphere and drives bright auroras, similar to those seen on Jupiter and Saturn.

This marks the first confirmed detection of a planetary radio signal that can be isolated from stellar activity, opening a new window on exoplanet magnetic environments. The findings await peer-review but are expected to influence models of exoplanet atmospheres and habitability.