Giant radio galaxies are very big structures in space that can stretch for millions of light-years, making them some of the largest things we know about in the universe.
It’s hard to find giant radio galaxies, even though they are so huge. But astronomers using the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa recently discovered a very big and strange one.
This new galaxy is over 3 million light-years long, with huge jets shooting hot plasma into space. It’s more than 30 times bigger than our Milky Way galaxy.
The galaxy is called “Inkathazo,” which means “trouble” in languages from Southern Africa. It’s puzzling because its plasma jets are bent and it’s growing in a crowded galaxy cluster where it shouldn’t be able to get so big.
Scientists are using advanced tools to study Inkathazo’s strange features and learn more about how it’s evolving in its unique environment.
Discoveries like Inkathazo are helping us understand more about these giant radio galaxies and the mysteries of the universe.
The study about Inkathazo was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Vocabulary List:
- Astronomers /əˈstrɒ.nə.məz/ (noun): Scientists who study celestial bodies and the universe.
- Galaxy /ˈɡæl.ə.ksi/ (noun): A large system of stars gas and dust bound together by gravity.
- Plasma /ˈplæz.mə/ (noun): A state of matter consisting of ionized gas; a collection of charged particles.
- Evolving /ɪˈvɒlv.ɪŋ/ (verb): Developing gradually especially from a simple to a more complex form.
- Puzzling /ˈpʌz.lɪŋ/ (adjective): Causing confusion or difficulty in understanding.
- Discoveries /dɪsˈkʌv.ər.iz/ (noun): The act of finding or learning something for the first time.
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