Astronomers detect 1st-ever exoplanet radio signals from b Pictoris b
Astronomers have, for the first time ever, detected radio signals coming directly from an exoplanet, b Pictoris b, which sits 64 light-years away.
Using South Africa's MeerKAT telescope, they picked up these signals from a young gas giant, opening up fresh ways to explore planets outside our solar system and their magnetic fields.
Aurora-like radio reveals >=1,250 gauss field
The radio waves are linked to aurora-like activity in b Pictoris b's atmosphere (think of it as this planet's version of Jupiter's northern lights).
Turns out, its magnetic field is at least 1,250 gauss at the region where the radio emission is produced (way stronger than Jupiter's), giving scientists new clues about how exoplanets work and evolve.
This discovery could help us learn more about other worlds' hidden environments in the future.