In a first-of-its-kind discovery, astronomers claim they have directly measured the magnetic fields of multiple planets beyond our solar system — potentially providing a crucial new tool in the search for habitable planets and alien life.
Magnetic fields exert a vital influence on planetary atmospheres and, therefore, their ultimate fate and prospects for habitability. We know, for example, that Earth's magnetic field has long protected our planet from harmful radiation, allowing our world to become a flourishing blue-green planet while inert Mars has grown barren and ostensibly dead.
