Scientists have detected radio waves generated by the magnetic field of the rocky exoplanet YZ Ceti b, a finding noted by TASS in its coverage.
In recent years, the hunt for exoplanets has grown routine among researchers, yet most identified worlds are gas giants that bear little resemblance to Earth. Rocky planets are rarer discoveries, but they draw intense interest because they may resemble our home world in key ways. A crucial factor for sustaining life is not only water and warmth but also a magnetic field. Without it, the solar wind can erode atmospheres and expose surfaces, much as is observed on Mars.
Researchers led by Sebastian Piñeda of Colorado State University in Boulder, along with colleagues, have gathered solid evidence for a magnetic field around a rocky exoplanet. The planet lies about 12.1 light-years away from Earth, within the Cetus constellation, making it one of the closest candidates for an Earth-like twin.
YZ Ceti b orbits its red dwarf host at a relatively small distance, completing an orbit roughly every two days. This proximity results in surface temperatures that are extremely high, given the close embrace of the star. The planet’s position in a tight orbit around its host also drives strong interactions with the star’s magnetic environment and with the surrounding stellar wind.
Ground-based radio observations using the Very Large Array detected unusual, periodic radio bursts emanating from the YZ Ceti star system. The timing of these bursts aligns with the orbital period of YZ Ceti b, and spectral analysis reveals signatures consistent with the planet’s magnetosphere interacting with the star’s magnetic field as part of stellar wind emissions. In other words, the planet’s magnetic shield is exchanging energy with the star’s environment in a way that produces the observed radio signals.
The researchers describe their method as broadly applicable. If rocky planets orbit close to their stars, the same approach could be used to search for magnetic fields around other worlds, offering a new window into the magnetic properties of planets beyond our solar system. This capability is significant because magnetism plays a key role in protecting atmospheres and potentially supporting conditions favorable to life in nearby planetary systems.
In a separate, unrelated note, a separate study has observed that certain spider species exhibit a deceptive behavior by feigning death to influence male interactions during courtship. This example demonstrates how misrepresentation can operate across very different biological contexts, from planetary science to animal behavior, underscoring the diversity of strategies found in nature and the importance of careful observation in interpreting signals from living systems.