Above: The two giant radio galaxies found with the MeerKAT telescope. In the background is the sky as seen in optical light. Overlaid in red is the radio light from the enormous radio galaxies, as seen by MeerKAT. Left: MGTC J095959.63+024608.6. Right: MGTC J100016.84+015133.0. Credit: I. Heywood (Oxford/Rhodes/SARAO).
Two giant radio galaxies have been discovered with South Africa’s powerful MeerKAT telescope. These galaxies are amongst the largest single objects in the Universe and are thought to be quite rare.
The fact that MeerKAT detected two of these monsters in a relatively small patch of sky suggests that giant radio galaxies may actually be much more common than previously thought. This gives astronomers further vital clues about how galaxies have changed and evolved throughout cosmic history.
The discovery has been published today, Monday, 18 January 2021 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Source: The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), a facility of the National Research Foundation
