Radio signals transmitted by Earth-like planet detected

A team of astronomers has discovered a repetitive radio signal coming from an Earth-like planet 12 light-years away.

According to their findings, this signal suggests that the planet may have an atmosphere and a magnetic field. The planet in question orbits the star YZ Ceti and was named YZ Ceti b.

Researchers believe the radio waves are the result of interactions between the planet’s magnetic field and its host star. These findings were recently in the journal Nature Astronomy.

“The survival of a planet with an atmosphere may depend on the existence of a strong magnetic field,” explains Sebastián Pineda, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado, cited by . These fields act as shields, preventing solar particles from destroying a planet’s atmosphere.

Detecting magnetic fields on distant planets, however, is no easy task. Unlike gas giants like Jupiter, whose magnetic fields are easier to identify, detecting them on rocky Earth-sized planets requires innovative methods.

Researchers focused on radio waves produced when the star’s plasma interacts with the magnetic field of the planet, creating detectable electromagnetic explosions.

YZ Ceti b, a rocky planet the size of Earth, is very close to its star, completing an orbit in just two Earth days. This proximity makes it inhospitable to life as we know itbut it also serves as a laboratory to study the interactions between a star and a planet’s magnetic field.

Researchers observed powerful radio waves coming from the YZ Ceti system. These emissions are believed to occur when the star’s plasma collides with the planet’s magnetic field, bounces off and interacts with the star’s own magnetic field.

“We saw the initial explosion and thought it was incredible”remembers Pineda. “When we looked at it again, it strongly indicated that we might have found something significant.”

The interaction between YZ Ceti and its planet can create auroras – not just on the planet, but also on the star itself. The radio emissions are believed to be a form of stellar aurora, similar to the auroras we observe on Earth, but on a much larger scale.

Although YZ Ceti b is the best candidate for a rocky exoplanet with a magnetic field, more investigation is needed to confirm the findings.

According to Pineda, these advances will allow scientists to systematically search for similar phenomena in other star systems, expanding the limits of what we know about exoplanets and their potential to support life.