Evidence item

Here, we report the first direct detection of auroral radio emission from an exoplanet, the giant planet β Pictoris b, with the MeerKAT array. We detect rapid, recurring, and highly circularly polarized bursts, as well as persistent emission, at frequencies of 0.85 to 3.5 GHz. We identify the emission as electron cyclotron maser radiation, which implies a magnetic field of ≳1.25 kG at the planet — the first such direct field strength measurement for an exoplanet.