The new strange radio circle, with two rings, discovered by astronomers. Photo: Capture Video Rad@Home (India)
An unusual structure, with double ring, observed in space with the help of amateur scientists, has proven to be a cosmic rarity, CNN reports.
The heavenly anomaly, surprised by a radio telescope, is a “strange radio circle” (ORC), one of the rarest and mysterious objects in the Universe, said Dr. Ananda Hota, the main author of a study published on October 2 in the specialized journal Monthly Not to the Royal Astronomical Society.
The strange radio circles are most likely made up of magnetized plasma – an electrically charged gas, strongly influenced by magnetic fields – and are so large that whole galaxies are in their center.
Stretching hundreds of thousands of light years, they can be 10 to 20 times larger than our galaxy, the Milky Way. However, they are extremely weak in brightness and can usually be detected by radio waves.
The recently discovered radio circle, called RAD J131346.9+500320, is the farthest known so far, located at 7.5 billion-light years. It is the first discovered by amateur astronomers and also the second strange radio circle that has two rings.
“Orcs are among the most bizarre and beautiful cosmic structures that I have ever seen and can contain vital clues about how black galaxies and holes co-volume together,” said the hood.
The strange radio circles were first discovered about six years ago, but the structures remain largely difficult to understand.
Ananda Hota is an assistant professor at the Atomic Energy Department of the Center for Excellence in Fundamental Sciences of the University of Mumbai and the main researcher of Rad@Home Astronomy Colorbatory, an online community open to all those with science studies.
