Astronomers Detect First Exoplanet Radio Signal

Astronomers have detected a strange radio signal from a planet outside the solar system for the first time, indicative of the presence of a strong magnetic field around the world of over a thousand times stronger than Earth’s.
The signal came from Beta Pictoris b, a young planet about 64 light-years away, say researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics.It likely came from the exoplanet’s aurora, similar to the phenomenon that produces northern and southern lights on Earth.
The space weather phenomenon is caused by electrically charged molecules colliding with a planet’s magnetic field, exciting the molecules. The excited molecules emit light and glow as they return to their normal states. The discovery was made by astronomers surveying space using South Africa’s MeerKAT array. (Yahoo)