Astronomers from Harvard University and the University of Oregon have detected a radio signal coming directly from the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b. The discovery marks the first time a radio emission detected in a planetary system has been conclusively linked to a specific planet outside our solar system.
The research team captured the signals four separate times during 2025 and 2026 using the MeerKAT radio telescope network in South Africa. The findings were detailed in a report posted to the arXiv preprint server and reported by Science Alert.
Scientists reported that the signal originates from the northern lights, or aurora, of Beta Pictoris b. Interactions between charged particles, the planet's atmosphere, and its magnetic field release energy that generates rapid, repeating, and strongly circularly polarized bursts, as well as continuous radiation between 0.85 and 3.5 GHz.
An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star outside Earth's solar system. While auroral radio signals are well documented on Earth, on other solar system planets, and on ultracool dwarf stars, researchers noted that such signals had never before been observed coming from an exoplanet.
Observations at Beta Pictoris
The MeerKAT telescope system was used to study Beta Pictoris, a star located 63.4 light-years from Earth. Beta Pictoris is an early-type star, meaning it is larger, hotter, and structurally different from stars like the Sun.
Three known planets orbit the star: Beta Pictoris b, Beta Pictoris c, and Beta Pictoris d. Researchers detected radio signals matching the profile generated by an aurora and confirmed that Beta Pictoris b was the exact source.
Data and previous models show that Beta Pictoris b possesses an exceptionally strong magnetic field, which could be up to 1,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. Scientists attributed the intense magnetic field in part to the planet's fast rotation, noting that it turns on its axis every eight to nine hours.
Further research and deep space signals
Researchers plan to investigate other exoplanets using the same observational techniques that revealed the auroral radio signals on Beta Pictoris b.
The observation follows another significant signal recorded in deep space, where astronomers detected a powerful gamma-ray burst designated as GRB 250702B. That event lasted approximately 25,000 seconds, or seven hours, setting a record for gamma-ray burst durations.
Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the University of Oregon, based in Eugene, Oregon, conduct ongoing astronomical research. The MeerKAT array in South Africa comprises dozens of interconnected radio dishes designed to detect faint radio emissions across the southern sky.
