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Bizarre space circle captured in unprecedented detail

Astronomers have sighted only a handful of odd radio circles, and are trying to pin down what causes them.
  1. Jacinta Bowler
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MeerKAT radio telescope data (green) showing the odd radio circles is overlaid on optical and near infra-red data.

The odd radio circle’s large outer circle is possibly more than a million light years across. Credit: J. English (U. Manitoba)/EMU/MeerKAT/DES(CTIO)

Astronomers have captured a close-up image of a rare and mysterious space object, prompting a renewed push to discover its origin. Odd radio circles (ORCs) are gigantic rings of radio waves. Only five have ever been sighted, and never in such spectacular detail.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00861-6

References

  1. Norris, R. et al. Preprint at arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2203.10669 (2022).

  2. Norris, R. et al. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac701 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Koribalski, B. et al. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. Lett. 505, L11–L15 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

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