Detection Using the MeerKAT Array
Astronomers working with South Africa’s MeerKAT array have recorded radio waves coming from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant located about 63 light-years from Earth. Kevin Ortiz Ceballos, a doctoral researcher at Harvard & Smithsonian, found the repeating signal while sorting through survey data. He walked into the office of his adviser, Harvard astronomer Edo Berger, and noted that the findings initially seemed unbelievable.
Four MeerKAT observation runs conducted in 2025 and 2026 split across the L and S bands, ranging from 0.85 to 3.5 gigahertz. During these experiments, a source was discovered directly above the Beta Pictoris system. A follow-up in May helped narrow the location further by using quasars as sky markers. By May, the team felt confident enough to pin the bursts to Beta Pictoris b, appearing in short, repetitive pulses that showed strong polarization.
Understanding Planetary Magnetic Fields
The detection points to an auroral radio emission generated by charged particles interacting with the planet’s magnetic field, operating through a process similar to the electron cyclotron maser that causes Jupiter’s radio storms and Earth’s northern lights. According to CNN, Berger explained that as high-energy particles spiral inside the magnetic field, they produce both auroras and radio waves. The peak frequency corresponds directly to the magnetic field strength at the source. Because the burst remains detectable at 3.5 gigahertz, researchers estimate the planetary magnetic field strength at least 1.25 kilogauss—more than 200 times stronger than Jupiter’s field.
The Beta Pictoris system is exceptionally young at approximately 23 million years old, featuring three known gas giants and a surrounding disk of dust and comets. Because the host star is magnetically quiet at radio wavelengths, it provided an ideal laboratory for isolating the planetary signal from stellar noise. Independent scientists have noted that while the preprint study posted on arXiv has not yet completed peer review, the multi-frequency verification provides strong confidence in the detection.