Radio Galaxy Zoo Talk

Strange halo of 4 satellite blobs of radio

  • axrldn by axrldn

    Are these satellite blobs of radio real or does the symmetry suggest false signals/glitches generated in the radio telescope?

    Posted

  • JeanTate by JeanTate in response to axrldn's comment.

    These are #artifacts (or #artefacts 😉), and are common around strong radio sources. They are (almost) always found in a hexagonal or triangular pattern, and are an inevitable consequence of the way FIRST (in this case) works, being based on radio interferometry. Their optical counterpart are the 'compass points' you see around bright stars (their technical name is diffraction spikes), though the physical causes are completely different.

    Hope this helps, and happy hunting! 😃

    Posted