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A team of astronomers, with the help of citizen scientists from India’s RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory, has made a groundbreaking discovery — a rare double-ringed “odd radio circle” (ORC) located 7.5 billion light-years away from Earth. The finding marks the most distant ORC ever observed and only the second known to feature two rings, making it one of the most mysterious cosmic structures ever detected.
The discovery, detailed in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on October 2, was led by Dr. Ananda Hota, an astrophysicist at the University of Mumbai’s Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences. The team identified the double-ringed ORC, named RAD J131346.9+500320, using data from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Telescope, Europe’s largest and most sensitive low-frequency radio telescope.
What Are Odd Radio Circles?
Odd radio circles are massive, faint rings of magnetized plasma, often surrounding entire galaxies. They can span hundreds of thousands of light-years, reaching up to 20 times the size of the Milky Way, but are visible only in radio wavelengths.
Scientists believe these rings are remnants of ancient explosive events—possibly caused by powerful black hole jets or galactic collisions—that sent shockwaves through the universe, re-energizing old plasma clouds.
Dr. Hota explained, “A major explosive event likely occurred in the galaxy’s core, re-igniting ancient clouds of magnetized plasma and causing them to glow again as radio rings.”
A Triumph for Citizen Science
The RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory allows everyday science enthusiasts to participate in real research. Volunteers helped spot the faint double-ring structure while analyzing LOFAR telescope data. This marks the first ORC discovered by citizen scientists and a major milestone in public participation in space research.
“This discovery proves how professional astronomers and citizen scientists together can push the boundaries of scientific discovery,” said Dr. Hota.
Galactic Secrets Waiting to Be Unraveled
Researchers believe this cosmic phenomenon provides a window into ancient galactic activity and could help scientists understand how black holes and galaxies evolve over billions of years.
“By studying ORCs across different cosmic times, we can uncover how these energetic outbursts influence galaxy formation and star birth,” said Hota.
Future telescopes, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)—currently under construction in South Africa and Australia—will allow scientists to observe these structures in far greater detail, potentially uncovering how such massive radio rings form and evolve.
As Dr. Hota summarized, “Our discovery pushes the known boundary of ORCs to nearly half the age of the universe, giving us precious clues about their mysterious origins.”
