Auroral Radio Waves

Do you know what Auroral radio waves are? Although they don't come up much in ordinary discussion, they are unquestionably of interest in the search for extraterrestrial life. The Northern Lights appear here on Earth when charged solar particles strike gases in our atmosphere. Not just at the North Pole, but over both poles as well. Although different gases generate different hues, green is the most typical color. And planets other than Earth also experience them.

An aurora emits radio waves, and those radio signals can inform us about the planet from which they originate, including the magnetic field type. This is significant because a planet's magnetic field is necessary for supporting life as we know it. Our magnetic field keeps our atmosphere in place so that dangerous asteroids can't hurt us and exterminate all surface life.

We can examine the radio waves from an aurora if an exoplanet with one is found. If they show a strong magnetic field, that may be a reliable sign that the planet is a good place for life to exist. Similarly, the signals themselves can remind us of planets we might otherwise have missed.