Astronomers discover farthest odd radio circle, dating back to 7.5B years ago
Astronomers have just found the most powerful and farthest odd radio circle (ORC) so far, called RAD J131346.9+500320.
ORCs are giant rings of radio waves around galaxies—first noticed in 2019—and this one dates back to when the universe was about half as old as it is now.
ORC has rare double-ring structure
What makes this ORC stand out? It has a rare double-ring structure—only the second time scientists have seen this.
These rings are enormous, 10-20 times bigger than our Milky Way, and may be formed by shockwaves from merging supermassive black holes, galaxy mergers, or powerful outflows from intense star formation and active galactic nuclei.
New tools will help in spotting more such rings
The discovery happened thanks to both the LOFAR telescope and help from citizen scientists. It shows how deep-space surveys—and curious people—are key to finding these cosmic mysteries.
With new tools like the Square Kilometre Array coming soon, we'll probably spot even more of these strange space rings and learn what's going on in their home galaxies.