| Description: | LOFAR's Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS) has resulted in the discovery and detailed study of a new 2.56 Mpc giant radio galaxy (GRG) associated with a disturbed galaxy group (UGC 9555). This image illustrates the huge extent of radio emission, stretching larger on the sky than the full moon. LOFAR contours are displayed in white, and the VLA's NVSS 1.4 GHz survey in red. The inset shows the host galaxy group. Lime green contours from FIRST show compact radio emission from the AGN and its jet. Coloured contours are smoothed SDSS bands, indicating the disturbed nature of the group that hosts this interesting radio source.
The paper describing the discovery of the GRG, along with a description of the very interesting host galaxy group and the large-scale structure in that region of the cosmos, has recently been accepted for publication in A&A (Clarke et al. 2017; http://arxiv.org/abs/1702.01571 ). It will be followed up with a detailed analysis of the morphology and evolution of the source, based on a high-resolution LOFAR observation motivated by the MSSS discovery. |
