Scientists detect first direct radio signal from exoplanet 63 light-years away

A team of astrophysicists has detected the first-ever radio signal from an exoplanet, marking a major step toward discovering planets within the depths of the galaxy. The signal comes from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant located about 63 light-years from Earth. This discovery was announced on 26 September 2026 by researchers from Harvard and the University of Oregon.nypost.com+1

Scientists from the Harvard & Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics and the University of Oregon confirmed that the radio emissions originate from the planet rather than its host star. They used South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope array to investigate the source. The array consists of 64 interconnected satellite dishes in the Karoo semi-desert of the Northern Cape.

How researchers traced the signal

Researchers detected radio bursts that varied over time and came from the direction of Beta Pictoris b. Their precision allowed the team to distinguish short, repeated bursts from the planet's location rather than from its parent star. They traced the origins to auroral radio emission caused by massive auroras on the planet.

Beta Pictoris b is a young and massive exoplanet located 63 light-years from Earth. NASA has estimated that the planet has a mass 11.729 times that of Jupiter. It takes 23.6 years to orbit its star and is located 10.018 AU from the star. The team found that the strength of the planet's magnetic field is 1,250 gauss. This is nearly 291 times stronger than Jupiter's 4.3 gauss magnetic field. This was also the first time the magnetic field of an exoplanet has been measured.

Measuring the magnetic field

Auroras are created when high-energy particles enter a planet's atmosphere near its magnetic poles and collide with molecules or atoms of gas. Beta Pictoris b rotates rapidly, completing one full rotation in just eight to nine hours. This fast rotation produces strong electrical currents which lead to the repeated radio emissions.

The research has been published online on arXiv on 26 September 2026. It has not yet appeared in a peer-reviewed journal. The researchers wrote in their study that this constitutes the first direct measurement of magnetic field strength for an exoplanet. This finding gives astronomers a new way to study planets beyond our solar system. It is consistent with dynamo-scaling predictions for a young, massive giant planet. The magnetic field acts as a protective layer for planets to keep their atmosphere from stripping away.thenews.com.pk

Implications for future discoveries

The team hopes to use the same method on other giant exoplanets. They plan to apply this technique to study additional worlds in the galaxy. Ortiz Ceballos did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the research. Distinguishing signals radiating from exoplanets from their far brighter host stars has been a major barrier. The team managed to extract the signal from the exoplanet's host star by using the known locations of quasars. Quasars are extremely magnetized active galactic nuclei used as cosmic lighthouses.