RAD@home discovery of a bow-and-arrow radio galaxy tracing a ~560 kpc bow-shock structure in a multi-halo environment

Abstract

We report the RAD@home citizen science discovery of a unique bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy (BAARG; RAD J104501.6+352852, z = 0.159) identified in LoTSS DR2. The source exhibits striking asymmetry: on the western side, a narrow jet feeds a sector-shaped emission region at ~115 kpc, extending backward to form a ~560 kpc arc-like structure; on the eastern side, the jet develops an S-shaped distortion extending to ~250 kpc, followed by a faint, offset tail reaching ~600 kpc. Our analysis shows that the host resides in a dynamically complex, multi-halo environment with nearby cluster-scale systems at similar redshifts. The observed morphology is consistent with interaction between the radio plasma and the surrounding medium, influenced by large-scale environmental gradients and bulk motions. The western structure is consistent with compression of radio plasma near a bow-shock-like feature, possibly linked to supersonic motion of the infalling host galaxy and its circumgalactic medium. This possibly represents one of the first instances in which morphology and environment together suggest signatures of infall- or shock-related processes; surveys such as LoTSS DR3 may reveal similar systems, offering new insights into the interplay between radio galaxies and their large-scale environments.

Published in MNRAS Letters, Associated Press Release of RAS (UK) at https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/bow-and-arrow-shaped-radio-galaxy-discovered-citizen-scientist and of RAD@home India at https://www.radathomeindia.org/press-release-2026-citizen-science-discovery-supersonic-radio-galaxy-cosmic-bow-and-arrow-rad-baarg

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