Astronomers trace radio signals to a planet beyond our solar system

It sounds like the start of an alien movie, but astronomers have a scientific explanation.

Researchers say they have traced radio signals directly to an exoplanet for the first time. The planet, Beta Pictoris b, is a young gas giant around 64 light-years from Earth.

The signals are not believed to be from aliens. Instead, they appear to be linked to auroral activity, similar in principle to the Northern Lights, and point to an exceptionally powerful magnetic field around the planet.

 

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The research team detected the emissions using the MeerKAT radio telescope. If confirmed, the finding could offer scientists a new way to study the magnetic environments of worlds beyond our solar system.

The findings are currently available as a preprint and are still awaiting peer review.