An Indian research team has discovered a rare bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy (RAD-BAARG) about 2 billion light years from Earth.
RAD-BAARG (Bow And Arrow Radio Galaxy) is about 1.8 million light years wide and was discovered using data from the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) Two-metre Sky Survey.
It was discovered by researchers from RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory, India's first citizen science astronomy research platform.
A radio galaxy is an active galaxy powered by a supermassive black hole that emits large amounts of radio waves.
Scientists believe the galaxy is moving supersonically through a galaxy cluster, creating a giant bow shock, similar to the shock wave produced by a supersonic aircraft.