Giant bow-and-arrow radio galaxy RAD-BAARG reveals colossal cluster shock wave

Astronomers have identified RAD-BAARG, a 1.8-million-light-year-wide radio galaxy with a bow-and-arrow shape likely produced by a galaxy moving supersonically through a galaxy cluster, creating a giant bow shock; discovered by citizen scientists in the RAD@home project and studied with LOFAR's LoTSS survey, its asymmetric jets highlight how cluster environments reshape radio galaxies. The system lies in a complex, multi-halo gas environment, offering insights into jet–environment interactions; findings published June 22 in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, demonstrating LOFAR's ability to detect faint, diffuse radio emission.