PUNE: A giant radio galaxy dying nine billion light years away has been discovered by a team of astronomers of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) here.
Budding scientist Prathamesh Tamhane, a former student of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, led the project under the supervision of Yogesh Wadadekar at NCRA.
Wadadekar said, “When we see the sun, it is a mere eight light minutes away, while the discovered galaxy is nine billion light years away. We see it as it was nine billion years in the past. Compare this to the age of the universe, which is about 14 billion years old. So, the galaxy is seen by us today, as it was, when the universe was about one-third of its present age.”
Astronomers claimed that such giant radio galaxies were extremely rare, especially in the distant universe. Spotting such a rare object in its short-lived dying phase is an absolutely unique phenomenon. Such galaxies harbour a super massive black hole at their centre.
Astronomers used the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) for observing this galaxy, emitting powerful radio waves. It has an extent of a whopping 4 million light years. Hence, it is called a giant radio galaxy. These results have been published in the November issue of the international journal – Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, London.
