Extreme winds are slowed down Bernese researchers find evidence for magnetic fields on exoplanets
A research team from Bern has discovered the strongest evidence to date of magnetic fields outside our solar system. They apparently slow down the extreme winds on the distant gas giants.
02.06.2026, 12:09
02.06.2026, 12:31
SDA
For a study published in the journal "Nature Astronomy", the research team analyzed the wind speeds on seven hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets, as the University of Bern announced on Tuesday.
The researchers found wind speeds of around 7,200 to over 25,000 kilometers per hour on the exoplanets studied. By comparison, the fastest winds on Jupiter in our solar system reach around 1500 km/h.
When analyzing the data, the team discovered an unexpected pattern: the higher the temperature of a planet, the lower its wind speed. "This completely contradicts intuition because, all other things being equal, hot planets have more energy to accelerate the winds," co-author Vivien Parmentier is quoted as saying in the press release.
Magnetic fields as a brake
The team identified the presence of planetary magnetic fields as the most plausible explanation for this phenomenon. These can act as a brake and slow down the movement of charged particles in the atmosphere. Using the data, the team deduced the strength of the magnetic fields for each of the seven planets. The strengths are comparable to those in the solar system and correspond to around four times Saturn's magnetic field or half of Jupiter's magnetic field.
The existence of strong magnetic fields could mean that auroras occur on these exoplanets, which are even more spectacular than on Earth.
According to the researchers, the research results are also an important step towards understanding which planets retain their atmosphere and water and could potentially harbor life.
