Radio halo discovered in a massive merging galaxy cluster

(Phys.org)--Radio halos are enormous regions of diffuse radio emission, usually found at the centers of galaxy clusters. Recently, an international team of astronomers has discovered such a large area of diffuse emission, estimated to be about three million light years wide. The newly detected halo is located in a distant massive merging galaxy cluster designated MACSJ2243.3-0935. The findings are presented in a research paper published online on Feb. 18 in the arXiv journal.