An international team of researchers has detected radio signals originating from an exoplanet for the first time, allowing scientists to directly investigate the magnetic environment surrounding a world outside our solar system.

The signals were traced to Beta Pictoris b, a young gas giant located roughly 63 light-years from Earth. The planet is estimated to be between 10 and 12 times the size of Jupiter.

Researchers observed recurring radio bursts associated with the planet as it moved through its orbit. The emissions are produced by interactions involving charged particles and the planet’s powerful magnetic field and atmosphere, creating radio waves that can be detected from Earth.

Identifying the source was a major challenge because radio telescopes receive signals from numerous objects throughout space. Researchers used distant quasars, which are extremely bright and active galactic cores, as fixed reference points to distinguish the planetary signal from other radio emissions.

The measurements showed that the recurring bursts aligned with Beta Pictoris b, providing evidence that the radio emissions were coming from the exoplanet rather than another object in the system.

The observations also allowed scientists to estimate the strength of Beta Pictoris b’s magnetic field. Researchers estimate that it is at least 1,250 gauss, compared with roughly 0.5 gauss at Earth’s surface, making the planet’s magnetic field thousands of times stronger than Earth’s.

The finding gives astronomers a new method for investigating the interiors and formation of giant planets. Because magnetic fields are connected to conditions inside planets, measurements of those fields can provide information that cannot be obtained simply by observing a planet's size and atmosphere.

Beta Pictoris b is not considered a candidate for supporting life, but the technique could eventually be used to study smaller worlds that may have more favorable conditions. A strong magnetic field can help shield a planet's atmosphere from charged particles and radiation produced by its host star.

Scientists have long considered magnetic protection an important factor when studying potentially habitable planets. Detecting radio emissions from distant worlds could therefore give researchers another tool for determining whether exoplanets possess magnetic fields and understanding how those fields influence their atmospheres.

The discovery expands the ways astronomers can study planets beyond the solar system, allowing magnetic environments to be investigated from tens of light-years away rather than inferred solely from other observations.