The MeerKAT X-ray telescope has aided in the discovery of a massive radio galaxy.

One of the largest structures in the universe, giant radio galaxies, are relatively rare in the cosmic expanse. This makes the recently discovered structure, which emits powerful radio waves, particularly intriguing. It spans approximately 4.2 million light-years and, unlike most similar objects, is located within a galaxy cluster.

2024-11-22 10:00:44https://naked-science.ru/article/astronomy/obnaruzhit-radiogalaktiku

Giant radio galaxies typically form in low-density environments, with supermassive black holes located at their centers, from which jets of high-energy particles emerge. These radio-emitting jets stretch across millions of light-years, penetrating intergalactic space and influencing the distribution of matter and star formation processes.

In a study published on the preprint server arXiv, an international team of astronomers described the giant radio galaxy MGTC J100022.85+031520.4, discovered as part of the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS) using the MeerKAT radio telescope. This massive structure, identified for the first time, is located in the cluster WHL J100022.9+031521 and sheds light on the life cycles of galaxies and their interactions with the surrounding cosmic environment.

The research group, led by astronomer Kathleen Charlton from the University of Cape Town (South Africa), conducted observations of three giant radio galaxies. By studying their spectral properties and the time elapsed since the last acceleration of particles in the jets, the scientists concluded that the light from the radio galaxy MGTC J095959.63+024608.6 took 68 million years to reach Earth, from MGTC J100016.84+015133.0 — 47 million years, and from the central radio galaxy MGTC J100022.85+031520.4 — 67 million years.

However, when comparing this data with estimates based on the physical sizes and expansion rates of the galaxies, astronomers found significant discrepancies: all three objects turned out to be much older than previously thought. In particular, the age of the giant radio galaxy MGTC J100022.85+031520.4 was estimated to be approximately one billion years, but the power of the jet emitted by its central supermassive black hole was found to be lower than that of other similar objects.

This discrepancy, according to the authors of the scientific paper, suggests the need to consider additional processes not reflected in existing models, such as complex interactions within the cluster or the re-acceleration of particles. Moreover, the structure MGTC J100022.85+031520.4 exhibits properties similar to galaxies that contain radio sources with "wide-angle tails" (curved radio sources, the nature of which is also not fully understood).

The question of how giant radio galaxies located in clusters interact with their environment and which processes influence their development remains open. This implies that further research may lead to a revision of galaxy evolution models.