Astronomers Detect Possible Magnetic Field on Exoplanet Beta Pictoris b via Radio Bursts
For the first time, researchers might have identified the magnetic field of the gas giant exoplanet Beta Pictoris b, located 63 light years away. A preprint paper released on arXiv.org on September 15 indicates that this magnetic field is approximately 2,000 times stronger than that of Earth. By capturing images at different radio wavelengths, the scientists detected patterns indicative of auroras, which are likely more intense than those on Earth. Edo Berger, a co-author from Harvard University, described this discovery as a new perspective on exoplanets. Utilizing the MeerKAT array in South Africa, the team found the planet to be mostly active and plans to broaden their search for similar systems. Lead author Kevin Ortiz Ceballos expressed optimism about the surprising detection.
Key facts
- Researchers may have directly detected the magnetic field of exoplanet Beta Pictoris b, about 63 light years away, by tracking radio bursts and buzzes
- The preprint paper has not yet been peer-reviewed and was posted to arXiv.org on September 15
- Beta Pictoris b's magnetic field was found to be around 2,000 times that of Earth
- The planet is about 12 times the mass of Jupiter and 25 million years old
- Observations were made with the MeerKAT array, 64 radio dishes in South Africa
- At the highest radio frequency detected, electrons were looping around 3.5 billion cycles per second
- Study co-author Edo Berger is an astronomer at Harvard University and the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian
- Lead author Kevin Ortiz Ceballos is a student of Berger
Entities
Artists
- Edo Berger
- Joe Callingham
- Jackie Villadsen
- Sebastian Pineda
- Kevin Ortiz Ceballos
- Ralf Crawford
- A. Simon
- E. Wheatley
Institutions
- Harvard University
- Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian
- Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Bucknell University
- University of Colorado Boulder
- MeerKAT
- NASA
- ESA
- CSA
- STScI
- arXiv.org
- Smithsonian magazine
- New York University
- Science
- Knowable Magazine
- Live Science
Locations
- Beta Pictoris
- Earth
- South Africa
- New York
- Rome
- Turkey