Jets of ‘nasty’ radio galaxy turn out to be 32 times the size of the Milky Way

Space objects are often astounding in their size, which makes you wonder, “How is this even possible?” Among such phenomena are Giant Radio Galaxies (GRGs), true monsters of the Universe. They contain active supermassive black holes that emit plasma jets extending over millions of light-years. These jets emit radio waves, allowing astronomers to capture them.

Huge jets of plasma from the newly discovered Giant Radio Galaxy are shown in red and yellow. Image credit: KKL Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA

One of the most mysterious discoveries in this field was the giant Inkathazo radio galaxy. Its jets are 3.3 million light-years long, equal to 32 diameters of the Milky Way. However, the shape of these jets is unusual: one of them has a bend, which is a rare phenomenon among similar objects.

“We nicknamed this giant galaxy ‘Inkathazo,’ meaning ‘trouble’ in isiZulu and isiXhosa because it has been a bit troublesome to understand the physics behind what’s going on here,” said Kathleen Charlton, a master’s student at the University of Cape Town and first author of the study.

Inkathazo’s unique characteristics

Its location is also surprising. While most other giant radio galaxies located in an isolated environment, Inkathazo is at the center of a cluster of galaxies. This environment should have made it difficult for giant jets to form, but Inkathazo seems to overcome these limitations.

Inkathazo spectral age map. Blue and green reflect younger plasma, while violet indicates older plasma. Author: KKL Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA

“This discovery is surprising and raises new questions about the influence of environmental interactions on the formation and evolution of Giant Radio Galaxies,” said Dr. Kshitij Thorat of the University of Pretoria, a co-author of the study.

MeerKAT contribution

Thanks to the modern capabilities of the MeerKAT telescope, astronomers not only discovered Inkathazo, but were able to study this Giant Radio Galaxy in detail. It turned out that the plasma in the jets has different ages: it is much younger on one side than on the other. In addition, unexpected pulses of energy in the electrons were observed, probably due to the interaction of the jets with hot gas in the intergalactic medium.

“This discovery has given us a unique opportunity to study the physics of a Giant Radio Galaxy in great detail,” Thorat emphasized. “The results challenge existing models and show that there is still much we don’t understand about complex processes in such extreme environments.”

New Horizons in Radio Astronomy

MeerKAT has become a key tool in radio astronomy, discovering new objects and phenomena. The next step is the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO), some of which will be based on MeerKAT technologies. The new telescope is expected to be operational within the next two years.

“We are entering an exciting era of radio astronomy. MeerKAT has already allowed us to achieve significant results, and SKA will open up even more opportunities to solve the mysteries of Giant Radio Galaxies,” emphasized Dr. Jacinta Delhaize from the University of Cape Town.

According to phys.org

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