https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/Automobiles, computers, medical devices, a staggering array of consumer electronics—these are just a few of the places you'll find sensor technology. Join the Sensors group and stay current on all the latest developments in this key technology.en-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/astronomers-detect-radio-signals-originating-from-an-exoplanetThu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:b86e6c79-a9a3-458f-9642-5abc7c2901d6CatwellAn April 2010 VLT image showing Beta Pictoris b located 6.5 AU from its star. (Image Credit: ESO ) A gas giant called Beta Pictoris b, located about 63 light-years from Earth, has been emitting strongly circularly polarized bursts . Astronomers recently detected the emissions using MeerKAT, a 64-dish radio telescope array in South Africa. According to the team, this is the first time radio signals were traced to an individual exoplanet rather than a host star. The method could enable scientists to measure the magnetic fields of planets beyond our solar system. This is a key discovery as it’s difficult to directly measure planetary magnetic fields. They may affect a planet’s interaction with stellar winds and how a planet’s atmosphere is protected from energetic particles. Even Earth has this same effect, as the magnetic field shields the atmosphere from the solar wind. Beta Pictoris b’s radio signals are created by a mechanism related to planetary auroras. Charged particles interacting with a planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere can produce radio waves through electron cyclotron maser instability (ECMI). Other planets, like Jupiter, in our Solar System produce similar radio emissions. Between 2025 and 2026, MeerKAT observed Beta Pictoris b four times. It detected radio signals ranging from 0.85 to 3.5 GHz. According to the paper, the signals had rapidly varying bursts that were strongly circularly polarized. This is consistent with coherent auroral radio emissions. Most importantly, the team determined that the radio signals came from the exoplanet and not the star or another planet in the system. Since the host star is magnetically quiet, it was easier to separate Beta Pictoris b’s faint radio emission from stellar activity. The highest radio frequency also provided researchers with data about the planet’s magnetic environment. Based on the researchers’ understanding of the signal as ECMI, 3.5 GHz suggests there is a 1.25 kilogauss magnetic field where those radio waves were produced. The approach could pave the way toward investigating magnetism on planets outside this Solar System. In such cases, astronomers use those radio observations to analyze giant exoplanets’ magnetic environments and get better insight into how planets interact with host stars. This can also contribute to the search for potentially habitable planets. Magnetic fields are capable of preserving a planet’s atmosphere if it gets hit with stellar activity. That makes it a key factor when determining if a distant planet provides ideal conditions for life. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.sensorsspacesensorexoplanetinnovationesohttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/nasa-moves-prima-into-phase-b-developmentFri, 02 Oct 2026 12:21:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:396acbe6-01b1-4f3c-b6cd-22f3a4aa2c9cCatwellArtist’s illustration of the PRIMA observatory. (Image Credit: NASA/JPC-Caltech) NASA recently chose the Probe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) to move from Phase A to Phase B, the next development stage. This brings PRIMA closer to becoming flight-ready. It also serves as the first mission in the space agency’s new class of astrophysics missions called Probe Explorers. PRIMA launches in 2033, orbiting Earth-Sun L2 and operating for five years. The probe will study the universe in far-infrared wavelengths. By doing so, it observes cosmic objects and processes that other telescopes may not detect. According to NASA, PRIMA can help investigate how planets form outside our solar system, the evolution of galaxies and their black holes, and how dust and heavy elements built up throughout the cosmic history. Moving into Phase B allows PRIMA’s design and technology development to advance. However, a confirmation review will take place before implementation begins. This involves examining the programmable, technical, and cost performance. NASA put a $1.2 billion project cost cap in place, but this doesn’t account for launch and non-project costs. During its mission, PRIMA will use its 5.9-foot all-aluminum telescope (actively cooled to 4.5 K) to conduct deep far-infrared surveys. The goal is to help cover an observational gap between infrared observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope and radio telescopes. NASA is designing PRIMA with a cryogenically cooled telescope and detectors to reduce thermal noise that may cause observation interference. The mission includes instruments like PRIMAger and FIRESS. PRIMAger (PRIMA Imager) is an imaging polarimeter that combines hyperspectral imaging from 24-84 micrometers with polarimetric imaging across 90-235 micrometers to map large sections of the sky. Meanwhile, the Far-Infrared Enhanced Survey Spectrometer (FIRESS), a high-res spectrometer with four slit-fed grating modules that covers wavelengths from 24 to 235 micrometers, will be used for multimode spectroscopy. The standard mode has a resolving power above 85, while a high-resolution Fourier-transform mode reaches a resolving power of 4,400 at 112 micrometers. Both the PRIMAger and FIRESS instruments use kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), with arrays totaling 11,000 to 12,000 detectors operating at extremely low temperatures (120 millikelvin). With these capabilities, PRIMA can study cold material and phenomena across the universe, such as the formation of planetary systems and exoplanet atmosphere composition. Along with that, the mission aims to offer new observations of molecular outflow from active galaxies and supermassive black holes. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.telescopeprimanasaspacesatellitesensor