Astronomers Detect the First Direct Radio Signal From an Exoplanet but Disappoint Alien Enthusiasts

MeerKAT radio telescopes are used to study radio emissions from distant astronomical objects, including the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b (Credit: Bernd Dittrich/Unsplash/IBTimes UK)

Astronomers have detected radio emission directly traced to an exoplanet for the first time, identifying Beta Pictoris b as the source during observations made in 2025 and 2026 with the MeerKAT radio telescope array in South Africa.

The finding, announced by researchers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and the University of Oregon, provides what the researchers describe as the first direct measurement of magnetic-field strength for an exoplanet. The research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and is available online through arXiv.