\n Processes associated with the planet\u2019s magnetic field produce the radio emission, according to Berger, a researcher at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Specifically, the detection involves auroras<\/a> similar to Earth\u2019s northern lights \u2014 the spectacular displays sparked by magnetic storms involving charged particles from the sun. \u201cIn order to see radio waves that extend all the way to the frequencies that we observed, you need an incredibly strong magnetic field,\u201d added Berger, a coauthor of the paper posted September 15<\/a> to the preprint platform ArXiv.\n <\/p>\n \n Not all planets have a magnetic field. Those that have one benefit from a natural shield that deflects disruptive energy. Earth\u2019s magnetic field, for example, protects our atmosphere from being stripped away by solar wind<\/a>, a continuous outflow of plasma that contains charged particles like protons and electrons.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe magnetic field on this planet is at least 200 times stronger than the magnetic field of Jupiter,\u201d Berger said, referring to Beta Pictoris b. Jupiter\u2019s magnetic field, according to NASA<\/a>, is powerful enough to generate a magnetosphere \u2014 the region of space influenced by the magnetic field \u2014 that ranks as the largest structure<\/a> in our solar system, stretching up to 2 million miles (3 million kilometers) toward the sun.\n <\/p>\n \n Jupiter\u2019s field also creates striking auroras<\/a>, when electrically charged particles spewed from volcanoes on its moon Io become trapped around the field\u2019s poles. As the gas giant rotates, the charged particles emit a glow but also a radio signal. \u201cAs these very high-energy particles are spiraling inside the magnetic field, along with the aurora they also produce radio waves,\u201d Berger said.\n <\/p>\n \n Astronomers call this type of signal an auroral radio emission. The phenomenon has been previously observed from Jupiter, Saturn and the sun, as well as stars outside the solar system and cool objects known as brown dwarfs \u2014 an intermediate between a star and a planet. This type of signal is what Berger and his colleagues detected from Beta Pictoris b, which ultimately points to the presence of an intense magnetic field that\u2019s causing auroras and the radio emission.\n <\/p>\n \n Magnetic fields have implications for the structure of exoplanets and their atmospheres, according to Berger. \u201cRadio observations can give us a completely new view on planets beyond our system,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n There had been hints of radio emissions from exoplanets before, but none had been confirmed, largely because it couldn\u2019t be ruled out that the source was actually the host star, said Joseph Callingham, an associate professor at the Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhat is unique for this study is that they localise the emission to the planet itself, separate from the star,\u201d Callingham, who was not involved in the new research, wrote in an email.\n <\/p>\n \n The Beta Pictoris system is astronomically very young at about 23 million years old compared with our own solar system\u2019s age of 4.5 billion years. Beta Pictoris b \u2014 the planet from which the radio signal potentially originates \u2014 was discovered in 2008<\/a>. Two additional planets, Beta Pictoris c and Beta Pictoris d, were discovered in 2019<\/a> and 2026<\/a>, respectively.\n <\/p>\n \n The planetary system is among the most studied in our galaxy, and its star is known to host 30 orbiting comets<\/a> and a giant disk of dust and debris, which NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope photographed<\/a> in detail in 2015. Some of the debris swirling in the rotating disk is a remnant from planetary formation.\n <\/p>\n ![\"NASA's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1184x242.jpg\")
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