Astronomers Discover Rare ‘Triple-Double’ Radio Galaxy 7.5 Billion Light-Years Away

Key Points:

• Astronomers have discovered a rare "triple-double" radio galaxy, J022248−060934, located 7.5 billion light-years from Earth, characterized by three pairs of radio lobes formed during different active phases of its central supermassive black hole.
• This galaxy’s black hole exhibited at least three bursts of activity, creating radio emissions stretching over 5 million light-years, with a rapid duty cycle indicating short interruptions between active phases, challenging previous models of black hole activity.
• Spectral aging analysis shows the black hole’s activity phases lasted millions of years, with periods of dormancy in between, providing valuable insight into the duty cycle and evolution of supermassive black holes and their influence on host galaxies.
• The discovery, made using data from the MeerKAT MIGHTEE survey, adds to the limited known examples of triple-double radio galaxies and highlights the potential for future observations with advanced telescopes like the Square Kilometer Array Observatory to find more such rare cosmic phenomena.
• Studying these galaxies helps astronomers better understand the growth cycles of supermassive black holes and their role in shaping galaxies and the broader universe over cosmic timescales.