A group of scientists has uncovered previously unknown information on one of the universe’s most peculiar features. To the point where they’ve earned the moniker “Odd Radio Circles” (ORC), because of how unusual they are.
Only five ORCs have been found so far, with another six candidates still awaiting confirmation. Scientists have no idea what they are, and they can’t provide an explanation for these enormous monsters.
New information about the first of these events is provided by a scientific paper released on March 20. These breathtaking photos were taken by the South African MeerKAT radio telescope and feature the object designated ORC1 (ORC J2103-6200). An ORC has never been seen in such stunning clarity before. According to Nature, radio astronomer Alice Pasetto of Mexico’s National Autonomous University said that “this discovery will initiate new scientific investigations among astronomers” because of the wealth of information provided in the work.
Unsolved Mystery
In the words of radio astronomer Bärbel Koribalski of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Sydney, “it is reminiscent of a Fabergé egg or a soap bubble.” The largest ring has a diameter of almost a million light-years, or about ten times that of the Milky Way, and is surrounded by several smaller rings.
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| The mysterious ring 16 times larger than our galaxy (J. English U. Manitoba/EMU/MeerKAT/DES CTIO) |
ORCs are essentially uncharted territory in the annals of astronomical occurrences. Astronomer Anna Kapinska made the discovery three years ago using a network of radio telescopes in Australia covering one square km. The scientists were so taken aback by the results that they even considered the possibility that they were the result of an equipment calibration error. They have been proven to be genuine buildings, however, their creation remains a mystery. Neither the nature nor the cause of these glowing circles near the border of objects is fully understood. We know that three out of every five of them have a centre that corresponds with the centre of a visible galaxy and that they can only be detected in the radio wave spectrum (and not in the visible, infrared, or X-ray light spectra).
The Universe Keeps Calling Us
There are now three hypotheses based on this latest research. The first is that it is what’s left after an explosion at the centre of galaxies so massive that it defies imagination. We can only guess at the cause of this explosion, but one possibility is the collision of two supermassive black holes.
Jets that spit out incredibly energetic particles at the centres of galaxies is a third possible explanation, as is the shock wave from the birth of millions of stars.
In the end, however, astronomers admit they don’t know why ORCs are so uncommon. As co-author and Western Sidney University professor Ray Norris put it: “We know that ORCs are rings of faint emissions that surround a galaxy with a very active black hole at its centre, but we don’t yet know what causes them or why they are so rare.”
The study’s published ORC1 measurements It’s incredible that we’ve only been able to spot these odd buildings in the last three years. Although astronomers estimate that they formed nearly a billion years ago, their antiquity serves as a reminder of how much work has to be done.
Socrates’ assertion that we know nothing is ultimately all that can be asserted with any degree of certainty. The cosmos constantly serves as a reminder that there are many secrets yet to be uncovered. There needs to be a sustained and increased effort in the next years to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos and, by extension, the history of our species.
Our basic survival as a species and the very foundation of our civilization rests on the excitement of the great adventure. Without it, our future is doomed.
