<keyword id="22639420" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Giant-Radio-Galaxies" source="keywords">Giant Radio Galaxies</keyword> (<keyword id="22639421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GRGs" source="keywords">GRGs</keyword>) are <keyword id="22639422" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="radio-galaxies" source="keywords">radio galaxies</keyword> that have expanded to sizes spanning megaparsecs. To put this in perspective, while the Milky Way galaxy is approximately 100,000 light-years wide, GRGs stretch across millions of light-years. Ironically, it is their immense size that makes GRGs rare and challenging to detect. One possible formation scenario for GRGs involves the powerful <keyword id="22639424" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="radio-jets" source="keywords">radio jets</keyword> from a galaxy extending into relatively empty regions of <keyword id="22639423" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="intergalactic-space" source="keywords">intergalactic space</keyword>. In an astonishing leap forward for astronomy, a team of Indian researchers has uncovered 34 new GRSs using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (<keyword id="22632818" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GMRT" source="keywords">GMRT</keyword>). This discovery, not only a testament to India's growing prominence in the field of <keyword id="19929542" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-exploration" source="keywords">space exploration</keyword>, provides fresh insights into the enigmatic behaviour of the universe’s largest and most mysterious structures. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111810338" title="Noisy neighbour: The Earth randomly blasted Venus with a Missy Elliott hip-hop song last week, because why not?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> This groundbreaking discovery stems from the <keyword id="21237895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TIFR" source="keywords">TIFR</keyword> GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS), conducted between 2010 and 2012. Covering about 90% of the sky at 150 MHz, the survey has become a treasure trove for astronomers. The team, comprising PhD students Netai Bhukta and Souvik Manik, and astronomers Sabyasachi Pal and Sushanta K Mondal, delved into the TGSS Alternative Data Release 1, leveraging GMRT’s exceptional sensitivity at low frequencies to uncover these colossal structures. Giant radio sources are cosmic behemoths, stretching millions of light-years across and representing the final stage of radio galaxy evolution. Their sheer size and rarity have long puzzled scientists. The recent discovery of 34 new GRSs, among the most distant ever detected, challenges the prevailing theories about their growth. Notably, two of these objects defy the conventional understanding that GRSs predominantly expand in low-density environments, suggesting that other factors contribute to their enormous size. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111855546" title="Budget 2024: How will budget affect India’s position in the global space race?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The GMRT, operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), is situated near Khodad village, 90 km north of Pune. This state-of-the-art facility has placed India at the forefront of radio astronomy, enabling scientists to peer deep into the universe and uncover its secrets. The success of this discovery underscores India’s growing capabilities and ambitions in space research, marking a significant milestone for the country’s scientific community. The study of GRSs is not merely an academic exercise; it has profound implications for our understanding of the universe. These giant structures provide critical insights into the behaviour of the intergalactic medium and the complex interactions between black holes and their surrounding environments. By examining these massive entities, scientists can better understand the distribution of matter in the cosmos and the forces shaping the evolution of galaxies. With plans to present new GRS samples in forthcoming articles, the researchers aim to conduct detailed analyses based on multiwavelength observations. These studies will further unravel the mysteries surrounding the formation and growth of giant radio sources, contributing to our broader understanding of the universe.

Indian astronomers have found 34 new giant alien radio sources using the GMRT near Pune!

<ul><li>Astronomers at the <keyword id="8524172" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-center-of-radio-astrophysics">National Center of Radio Astrophysics</keyword> (NCRA) in India have a spotted galaxy AGC 203001 with a large ring of hydrogen gas wrapped around it.</li><li>The galaxy is 260 million light-years away from Earth.</li><li>Normally, reservoirs of neutral hydrogen gas are accompanied by star formation, but there are no new stars being born in this ring of hydrogen.</li></ul>Galaxies are made up of interstellar gas, cosmic dust, entire solar systems, and stars. Normally, these stars are born in clouds of neutral hydrogen gas. More gas, more stars. However, one galaxy 260 million light-years from Earth shows zero signs of star formation despite having a ring of hydrogen gas four times the size of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/milky-way-galaxy-surrounded-by-massive-radio-bubbles-stretching-hundreds-of-light-years/articleshow/71106392.cms">Milky Way</a> around it. Astronomers at the National Center of Radio Astrophysics (<a href="https://www.tifr.res.in/TSN/article/Wadadekar%202020%20TIFR%20release_rev.pdf">NCRA</a>) spotted galaxy AGC 203001 using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune. They found that even though the galaxy had a ring of hydrogen gas around it — there were no new stars being born. This is despite the fact that the ring is 380,000 lightyears wide, much bigger than the galaxy itself. Where did the stars go? Nobody knows where and how these rings of hydrogen gas form. The most popular theory is that they are a result of galaxy colliding into other galaxies, but even that’s largely debated. In fact, there’s only one other galaxy discovered by scientists that’s has a hydrogen ring as big as AGC 203001, according to the study published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/492/1/1/5603752">Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</a>. Normally, large reservoirs of neutral hydrogen gas around a galaxy are accompanied by new stars being born within its fold. The <keyword id="1270472" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Eagle-Nebula">Eagle Nebula</keyword>, for instance, is 5.5 million-year-old clouds of molecular hydrogen gas and dust. 
 <div type="image" title="eaglenebula_edited" msid="73104116" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Hubble Telescope&amp;#39;s image of the &amp;#39;Pillars of Creation&amp;#39; within the Eagle Nebula. These clouds of hydrogen gas and dust have clumps along their edges with embriyonic stars within.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 According to images taken by the Hubble Telescope, the clouds were dotted by clumps of gas — Evaporating Gaseous Globules (EGGs) — on their outer edges. Inside some of the EGGs were embryonic stars. Galaxy AGC 203001 as more than enough hydrogen — even though it’s exact distribution isn’t known — but no new stars. The team of NCRA astronomers even got some help as asked two French astronomers to take more sensitive images using the Canda-France-Hawaii-Telescope (CFHT) located in Hawaii. But even they didn’t turn up any signs of starlight. What’s next? There isn’t any clear explanation for why AGC 203001 is star-less despite having copious amounts of hydrogen gas. In order to find out why this is the case, the NRC team is now on the hunt for other such galaxies. Comparison other such galaxies, with rings of neutral hydrogen gas surrounding them, to help scientists figure out how such rings come to exist in the first place — and why most have stars forming but AGC 203001 doesn’t. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/milky-ways-neighbour-galaxy-not-dead-with-young-blue-stars-at-its-center/articleshow/71269866.cms">Milky Way's neighbour might not be so ‘dead’ with young stars brewing at its center</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/astronomers-accidentally-discover-a-new-galaxy-with-as-many-stars-as-the-milky-way/articleshow/71715185.cms">Astronomers ‘accidentally’ discover a new galaxy with as many stars as the Milky Way</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/bubbles-filled-with-thousands-of-stars-found-in-the-milky-way/articleshow/71385825.cms">Bubbles filled with thousands of stars found in the Milky Way</a>

Indian scientists spot a galaxy 260 million light-years away that isn't giving birth to any new stars

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/44479034.cms" /> India, as a country, today stands at the crossroads as it tries to take the centre stage in the world economy; harness its innate strengths; gain a stronghold in the world’s political stage; and reinforce its place in the global scientific fraternity. The recent ‘<keyword id="6354869" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="make-in-India">Make in India</keyword>’ campaign and <keyword id="1506013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mangalyaan">Mangalyaan</keyword> success was just a teaser for the world. 
 As the world wakes up to the power that lies within the sub-continent, it’s time that Indians should start focusing on education says Dr Govind Swarup, the Emeritus Professor from National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of TIFR. The well-known <keyword id="2546530" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Radio-Astronomer">radio astronomer</keyword> shared several insights and perspectives on how India can establish the intellectual potential and become one of the world’s best developed nations in a candid conversation with Richa Sharma, Deputy Editor-Business Insider India. Below are the excerpts: 
 
Q. Sir, you laid the foundation of radio astrophysics in India, and built the GMRT, a lot has changed, right from technology to science governing the Physics. How do you view all these changes? 
I look at them with positivity and lots of hope. But my fear is brain drain. Today, very few bright students join research institutes or Indian universities as many get attracted to software industries in lieu of handsome salary package. Many go abroad. This must change and for this we need to overcome the ‘caste system’ dividing our education system into four buckets/boxes. (He pauses and then explains) I say, we have a caste system in education because we’ve science colleges and research institutes in one box, engineering colleges in second, medical colleges in third box and humanities in fourth. In most American Universities, all are offered in one campus and students at undergraduate and postgraduate level are required to take 20 to 30 % courses outside their discipline. 
 
Q. So, you want to say that science education should be revamped? 
 Yes, precisely. Almost all universities in India impart only education in science, but very little research isencouraged. Unless we combine undergraduate education with research and experiments in all disciplines (e.g in social sciences with field surveys), we cannot expect our universities to become world-class. 
 
Q. What’s your take on Mangalyaan success? ISRO scientists have created history by successfully inserting the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) into the Martian Orbit. This makes India the first country in the world to accomplish the feat in its maiden attempt. 
It’s a great achievement. Not only it has proved the technical skills of ISRO scientists but also mathematical ability by few in ISRO who calculated and mastered the gravitational variations across the solar system from the earth to mars that led to the unique success. But there’s a lesson that we should learn from this success. 
 
(Lesson?) We should enhance mathematics teaching and learning—right from primary levels to secondary levels across India in private schools, municipal schools and rural schools. Science can’t exist without Maths, you can even say vice-versa. A group in Orissa and Pune selects undergraduate students in Degree colleges and encourages them to go to municipal schools, interact with 20 students studying in class 5th or above, and impart mathematical knowledge. Imagine the impact we can create if we implement the same rule across thousands of science and engineering degree colleges in India. How do we tell Smiriti Irani? 
 
Q. From discovery of Type U solar radio bursts, gyro-radiation model for microwave radio emission from solar active regions; lunar occultation observations using the ORT to high angular resolution studies (about 1 to 10 arc sec) of more than 1,000 weak radio galaxies and quasars-you have done it all. Now, what’s next in your list? 
Next on my list is education. I dream of India, where we’ve world-class universities. I feel that’s the only way to capture the intellectual potential we have in the country, and make India one of the world’s best developed nations as well. 
 
From 1996 to 2004, I and Professor Bhide (former VC of the Pune University) struggled to set up a 5-year integrated Science Education and Research at the University of Pune. Our initiative was approved by the Cabinet in 2004, which later lead to the establishment of: 5 Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs); another National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER); and Center of Excellence in Basic Sciences at the Bombay University. I consider this as a bigger achievement than building the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). 
 
I hope that the Modi Government would select four State Universities across India on competitive basis, provide sufficient funds, ensure that faculty is selected on a national basis and thus in due course improve our ~ 250 or more universities. There’s tremendous talent going untapped in our young population. Apart from education and nurturing talents at the bottom of the pyramid, we need to take special care of the top that would contribute to innovation. At age of 85, I can’t contribute more to these dreams, but I am sure there are others who can pave us on the road to faster growth and success. 
 
Q. That’s an intriguing thought sir, but we would still like to know what are you researching these days? We heard that you are making observations with the GMRT for problems related to cosmology. 
Currently, I am closely guiding a student from VSSC (isn’t it Trivandrum??), ISRO, to analyze observations made with the GMRT of the planet Venus and to investigate any heat flow and its magnitude from its interior. Along with Dr Sandeep Sirothia of NCRA, currently in South Africa, we are also analyzing GMRT data of "Extremely Cold Spot" in the microwave background that has cosmological implications. 
 
Q. You are probably the reason why people think of being a radio astronomer—the term however, is not known to many. Can you please explain what it’s all about in simpler words? 
Radio Astronomy is a new subject. Using radio telescopes (large antennas connected to very sensitive electronics), it has been discovered that one in a million galaxy is a very powerful source of radio emission emitting trillions of power due to presence of massive black holes at the centre of certain galaxies that give rise to outflow of powerful jets of electrons and positrons as matter spirals from galaxy to the central black holes. Many other discoveries have been made in Radio Astronomy and has brought Nobel Prize to 8 radio astronomers over the last 50 years. 
 
India has GMRT, the world's largest radio telescope operating from 130 MHz to 1430 MHz. It is being used by astronomers and students from India and 31 countries in the world including astronomers from Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard and Stanford. There are only a few other scientific instruments in India that has been used by international scientists and that too on a limited occasions. 
 
Q. Any tips for our readers, who want to become a radio astronomer? 
A good education background and exceptional analytical skills is all that you need. If you have completed B.Sc. and M.Sc levels in Physics and Mathematics, Or B.Tech in Electronics and telecommunications, you can sit in for competitive tests held in this field. National Centre of Radio physics of TIFR at Pune, Raman Research Institute at Bangalore and a few other places, annually select students through JEST, IUCAA-NCRA (INIAT) and TIFR entrance exams. 
 
<a href="http://www.iiap.res.in/Swarup">(Dr Govind Swarup is an internationally well known pioneer in the field of radio astronomy who is known for building ingenious, economical and powerful observational facilities for front-line research in radio astronomy, namely, the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) in South India and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near Pune, that are amongst the largest in the world.) </a> 
 
 
Image: <a href="http://ncra.tifr.res.in/ncra/people/academic/emeritus-professor/Swarup">ncra.tifr.res.in</a>

Build World-Class Indian Universities, Take India To The Top: Govind Swarup

National Centre for Radio Astrophysics NCRA

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Indian astronomers have found 34 new giant alien radio sources using the GMRT near Pune!

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Indian scientists spot a galaxy 260 million light-years away that isn't giving birth to any new stars

Prabhjote Gill

Build World-Class Indian Universities, Take India To The Top: Govind Swarup

Richa Sharma