Astronomers have discovered a radiation belt surrounding the brown dwarf LSR J1835+3259, the first of its kind outside our solar system. This radiation belt is an astonishing 10 million times more intense than Jupiter’s, pivotal for future explorations of potentially habitable Earth-sized planets. The research, led by Melodie Kao and published on May 15 in the journal Nature, utilized a global network of 39 radio telescopes, effectively creating an Earth-sized telescope to capture high-resolution images of the brown dwarf’s magnetosphere, which is a magnetic structure similar to those found around planets with strong magnetic fields.
This discovery showcases the possibility of radiation belts existing not only around planets but also around brown dwarfs and potentially other celestial objects. The outer diameter of this radiation belt measures at least 18 Jupiter diameters, indicating the presence of extremely high-energy electrons. The findings highlight the importance of magnetic fields in maintaining the habitability of exoplanets by protecting their atmospheres and surfaces from harmful cosmic radiation, thus raising new questions about the environments of these distant worlds.
