LOFAR Archives

Novel Way To Detect Signals From Stellar And Exoplanetary Systems Unveiled

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2026

An international team including Cornell researcher Jake Turner has developed a novel analysis method capable of uncovering previously undetectable stellar and exoplanetary signals hidden within archival radio-astronomical data.

This artist’s impression shows a coronal mass ejection (CME) around another star. We see these eruptions coming often from the Sun. During a CME, massive amounts of material are flung out from our star, flooding the surrounding space. These dramatic expulsions shape and drive space weather, such as the dazzling auroras we see on Earth, and can chip away at the atmospheres of any nearby planets. -- ESA larger image

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics

First Confirmed Sighting Of Explosive Burst On Nearby Star

by Keith CowingNovember 13, 2025November 13, 2025

The atmosphere-stripping ability of the CME is an exciting discovery for our hunt for life around other stars.

The uGMRT image (blue contours) of the GJ 1151 field at 218 MHz overlaid on the ZTF zg band image (epoch J2021.17). The red circle marks the position of GJ 1151 at the time of observations (epoch J2021.21), and the green circle marks the position of the radio source detected with LOFAR (epoch J2014.454) -- astro-ph.EP

Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

uGMRT Survey of EXoplanets Around M-dwarfs (GS-EXAM): Radio observations of GJ 1151

by Keith CowingOctober 5, 2024October 5, 2024

Coherent radio emission with properties similar to planetary auroral signals has been reported from GJ 1151, a quiescent, slow-rotating mid-M star, by the LOFAR Two-metre (120-170 MHz) Sky Survey (LoTSS).

Time-series (Q1a: panel a and b) and Integrated spectrum (Q1b: panel c and d) for different beams (ON, OFF-1, OFF-2) for the follow-up LOFAR τ Boötis observations. The two-sigma error bars are shown in the black brackets. Large-scale features can be seen for all dates, however, they change between observations. No distinct emission in the ON-beam is seen when compared to the OFF-beams. There are no large-scale differences seen between the three beams for any date. The third OFF-beam is indistinguishable from the other OFF-beams within the noise. - astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Follow-up LOFAR Observations Of The τ Boötis Exoplanetary System

by Keith CowingMarch 26, 2024March 26, 2024

Context. Observing the radio emission from exoplanets is among the most promising methods to detect their magnetic fields and a measurement of an exoplanetary magnetic field will help constrain the […]

This plot shows each of the stars that were searched for technosignatures, emanating out from our observation point here on Earth. The colour bar shows the distance these stars are in units of kiloparsecs/ CREDIT Owen Johnson and Evan Keane, Trinity College Dublin

Astronomy & Telescopes, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures

Astrophysicists Scan The Galaxy For Signs Of Life

by Keith CowingOctober 27, 2023October 27, 2023

Astrophysicists from Trinity College Dublin are scanning the Universe for “technosignatures” emanating from distant planets that would provide support for the existence of intelligent, alien life.

Orbital phase coverage for the observations of τ Boo b. The orbital phase was calculated using the ephemeris from Wang & Ford (2011) and is relative to periastron of τ Boo b. The LOFAR and NenuFAR observations are labeled in red and orange, respectively. The original LOFAR observations were taken between February 18, 2017 and March 25, 2017. The τ Boo LOFAR observations with the tentative detections are displayed as large dark-blue rectangles. The tentative detection of burst emission was seen on February 18, 2017 and the slow emission was seen on March 6, 2017. An arbitrary number of days was placed between the 2020 and 2017 observations for clarity. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Follow-up Radio Observations Of The τ Boötis Exoplanetary System: Preliminary Results From NenuFAR

by Keith CowingOctober 10, 2023October 10, 2023

Studying the magnetic fields of exoplanets will provide valuable information about their interior structures, atmospheric properties (escape and dynamics), and potential habitability.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

A Long-period Planet Around GJ 1151 Measured With CARMENES And HARPS-N Data

by Keith CowingJanuary 11, 2023January 11, 2023

Detecting a planetary companion in a short-period orbit through radio emission from the interaction with its host star is a new prospect in exoplanet science.