Scientists think they’ve observed the first radio release of an extrasolar planet

An international team of scientists has identified radio bursts released from the constellation Boötes. This could be the first radio release released from an extrasolar planet, scientists say.
A group of astronomers from Cornell University recently published a study in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, detailing radio bursts released from the remote extrasolar planet located in the constellation “Gavran.” Although more observations are needed to confirm the researchers’ recent findings, if confirmed, the discovery could be the first recorded example of radio propagation on an extrasolar planet.

This very important possible discovery was made by researchers from Cornell University, PSL University, France, and the University of Orleans using the Low Frequency Array (a large network of radio telescopes located in the Netherlands).

Research initially began through observations made on planet Jupiter as researchers were trying to better understand the connection between radio signals and the planet’s magnetic field, according to the researchers.

Jake Turner, senior author of the study from Cornell University, said their initial experiments will ultimately be considered as a model for new surveys of similar planets tens of light-years away from Earth.

He added: “We got help from planet Jupiter to identify this phenomenon. We searched for this and found it.

After examining nearly 100 hours of radio observations, researchers witnessed radio emissions from extrasolar planets orbiting stars in the constellation Cancer, the constellation Gavran, and the Upsilon Andromedae systems, however, it was ultimately the constellation Gavran that attracted astronomers’ attention.

Furthermore, the researchers determined that only the Tau Boötes extrasolar system located 50 light-years away from us would display a significant radio signature that could allow them to gain more insight into the extrasolar planet through its magnetic field.

In his remarks, Turner explained that a planet’s magnetic field allows astronomers to get a better idea of the planet’s internal and atmospheric characteristics, noting that Earth’s magnetic field acts as a shield from solar wind, making Earth habitable.

The power of radio signals released from the extrasolar planet Tau Boötes b is about 5 to 11 gauss, the researchers said. Similarities suggest that the nucleus of this extrasolar planet is made of metallic hydrogen.

“In this study, we presented one of the first signs of identifying the extrasolar planet in the radio range,” Turner said of his team’s research. We examined the propagation of radio bursts from this extrasolar planet. The power and polarization of the planet’s radio signal and magnetic field are consistent with theoretical predictions.

Because the signal was weak, the researchers stated in their findings that emissions were also likely to have taken place elsewhere.

Turner and his colleagues are now conducting studies with the help of several radio telescopes to track the detected signal.