Researchers find evidence of potential life on far away Earth-like planet

Scientists believe there may be life on an exoplanet 12 lightyears away after detecting potential new evidence.

The magnetic field on Earth is essential to protecting life on our planet and scientists believe they may have detected a similar magnetic field elsewhere. It is the force responsible for protecting us from rays from the sun, producing the aurora borealis and causing all compasses to point north.

Ours is not the only world in the solar system to have a magnetic field and researchers have found another Earth-like planet that has one, possibly hinting at potential life.

According to a study published in the Nature Astronomy journal, using the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescopes in New Mexico, scientists observed evidence of a magnetic field on YZ Ceti b – a rocky exoplanet that orbits a star approximately 12 light-years away from Earth.

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One of the study’s authors, Joe Pesce, director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) said: “This research shows not only that this particular rocky exoplanet likely has a magnetic field but provides a promising method to find more.”

The find makes it the first planet beyond our solar system where a magnetic field may have been detected. As it is a key component of a habitable planet, scientists are excited by the discovery.

Magnetic fields prevent energetic particles originating from stars eroding away the atmosphere of planets, as this strips away the vital gases needed to support life as we know it.

Pesce explained: “The search for potentially habitable or life-bearing worlds in other solar systems depends in part on being able to determine if rocky, Earth-like exoplanets actually have magnetic fields.”

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