FOR the first time in history scientists believe they have received a radio signal from a world outside of our solar system.

The signal was detected by the Low-Frequency Array or LOFAR, a network of radio telescopes based in the Netherlands which is being used to map the universe at certain frequencies.

LOFAR picked up the signal from a region of space occupied by the constellation Boötes, The Herdsman, pinpointing the source to a lone exoplanet, the same size as Jupiter, orbiting in a binary star-system.

An exoplanet is classed as a planet not of our solar system.

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Whilst not a transmission from an alien life-form, the signal can be used to understand the magnetic field of this and similar exoplanets, which in turn would help find out the properties of its atmosphere and interior, resulting in establishing how habitable it might be.

"If confirmed through follow-up observations, this radio detection opens up a new window on exoplanets, giving us a novel way to examine alien worlds that are tens of light-years away," said Professor Ray Jayawardhana of Cornell University, US, and co-author on the new research.

The discovery comes as data collected from the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia revealed another signal had been detected emanating from the region of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to us after our own Sun.

This discovery was part of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, (SETI), initiative, using the telescope as part of the Breakthrough Listen Project, which also scans the Universe for radio signals.