At a distance of 12 light-years from Earth, astronomers found an exoplanet that resembles Earth and the star it orbits, which they claimed suggested the presence of life on the world. According to scientists, a planet the size of Earth may have both an atmosphere and a magnetic field, according to CNN. The magnetic field of the Earth deflects high energy plasma and particles that are frequently blasted out of the sun, along with directing compass needles in the direction of north, and aids in maintaining the Earth’s atmosphere and supporting life.
Therefore, the astronomers suggested that the presence of the magnetic field Earth-like exoplanet YZ Ceti b may suggest the potential of life existing there. Using the Karl GJansky Very Large Array, a radio telescope run by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory of the US National Science Foundation, astronomers Jackie Villadsen and Sebastian Pineda from Bucknell University and the University of Colorado, respectively, discovered a repetitive radio signal coming from star YZ Ceti, according to PTI.
They were looking for a way to observe these invisible magnetic fields of such small, far-off planets the size of the Earth
The journal Nature Astronomy has published the astronomers’ results. “Whether a planet has a strong magnetic field or not can depend on whether the planet survives with an atmosphere or not,” Pineda said. Villadsen first isolated the radio signal while poring over data at her house on a holiday. Pineda said, “We saw the original burst and it looked beautiful. “When we saw it again, it was very indicative that, OK, maybe we have something here,” he added. The interactions between the planet’s magnetic field and the star it orbits have led to the rise of the stellar radio waves detected by astronomers, they detected.
However, they noted that very strong waves are required for sensing such waves over great distances. The official went on to say that they were looking for a way to observe these invisible magnetic fields of such small, far-off planets the size of the Earth. In the past, scientists have found magnetic fields on massive exoplanets the size of Jupiter. The researchers concluded that if the planet has a magnetic field and it passes close enough to enough star material, it will cause the star to produce bright radio waves.