Strange radio signals detected from exoplanet almost 63 light-years from Earth

Scientists have detected strange radio signals coming from beyond our Solar System, in a discovery that could provide the first direct evidence of auroral radio emission from an exoplanet.

The discovery was made by researchers from the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian and the University of Oregon.

According to reports, the signals came from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant exoplanet located roughly 63 light-years from Earth. The planet orbits Beta Pictoris, an A-type star, and was discovered in 2008.


Beta Pictoris b has a mass of about 11.7 times that of Jupiter and takes approximately 23.6 years to complete one orbit around its star. It orbits at a distance of about 10 AU.

How was the signal detected?

Researchers used South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope array to observe the Beta Pictoris system on four separate occasions in 2025 and 2026.

During the observations, they detected short, repeating bursts of radio waves.

"Using super-bright galaxy cores called quasars as reference points in their sky map, the researchers were able to ascertain with a high degree of certainty that it was planet b, and not the Beta Pictoris star, sending out the broadcasts," ScienceAlert reported.

Does Beta Pictoris b have aliens?

The discovery does not suggest that an alien civilization is sending radio broadcasts from the planet.

Researchers detected rapid, recurring and highly circularly polarized bursts, along with persistent radio emission, at frequencies ranging from 0.85 to 3.5 GHz.

The team identified the emission as electron cyclotron maser radiation, a phenomenon associated with auroras and magnetic fields.

Auroras are produced when charged particles interact with a planet's atmosphere and magnetic field, releasing energy in the form of light and, in some cases, radio waves. Earth also experiences auroras, most famously seen as the northern and southern lights.

"We detect rapid, recurring, and highly circularly polarized bursts, as well as persistent emission, at frequencies of 0.85 to 3.5 GHz. We identify the emission as electron cyclotron maser radiation, which implies a magnetic field of ~1.25 kG at the planet, the first such direct field strength measurement for an exoplanet," the researchers said.

The researchers noted that auroral radio bursts have previously been observed from planets in our Solar System and from some ultracool dwarfs. However, they said no previous radio detection had been unambiguously localized to an exoplanet rather than its host star.

The observation therefore represents an important step in the study of magnetic fields and auroral activity on planets outside our Solar System.

All about Beta Pictoris b

Beta Pictoris b is a gas giant exoplanet orbiting the A-type star Beta Pictoris. It has a mass of about 11.7 times that of Jupiter and orbits its star at roughly 10 AU.

The planet takes approximately 23.6 years to complete one orbit, and its discovery was announced in 2008.

The research findings have been made available online through arXiv but have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.