Astronomers have discovered a stunning dual-ring system deep in the cosmos – the most powerful and most distant odd radio circle (ORC) to date. It may shed literal light on the processes that can forge these mysterious structures.

In light that has traveled for 7.7 billion years to reach us, a collaboration between citizen scientists and professional astronomers has identified an ORC, named J131346.9+500320, consisting of not one, but two intersecting rings of bright radio light – the strongest ever seen in one of these objects.

Each ring spans roughly 978,000 light-years across, wrapped in a faint halo around 2.6 million light-years wide.

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The source of this double structure, which is a rarity among the already f

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