You might not think to thank Earth’s magnetic field for allowing you to be here today, but it is incredibly important in sustaining the life of our planet. Sebastian Pineda, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado (USA), explains that the magnetic field of a planet can prevent its atmosphere from being eroded over time by particles emitted from its star, in our case, the Sun.
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Illustration of the Interaction Between a Planet and Its Star
Now, scientists have found another magnetized planet – YZ Ceti b, a rocky planet orbiting a star about 12 light-years away from Earth. The research was published on Monday (April 3) in the journal Nature. Joe Pesce from the National Science Foundation stated that the discovery of their existence is crucial in the search for habitable or inhabited planets. “This study not only shows that this particular rocky planet is capable of having a magnetic field, but it also provides a promising method to find more similar planets,” he said.
Researchers detected radio waves that they believe are generated by the interaction between the planet’s magnetic field and the star it orbits. According to Jackie Villadsen, an astronomer at Bucknell University (USA), since the magnetic field is invisible, it is challenging to determine if a remote planet actually has one.
Although YZ Ceti b is similar in size to Earth, it is not habitable due to its close proximity to its star. However, this planet shares another similarity with Earth – that is the aurora. High-energy particles from the Sun create weather phenomena around Earth, and the interaction between the magnetic field and the atmosphere generates the aurora, or the Northern Lights. YZ Ceti b and its star also produce auroras, but on the star itself.
Scientists agree that YZ Ceti b is a promising candidate for a magnetized planet, but they state that further extensive research is needed before confirmation can be made.