by Joe Callingham (Sydney Uni, CASS & CAASTRO)

Using the MWA’s GLEAM all-sky survey, PhD student Joe Callingham and co-authors have more than doubled the number of “peak-spectrum” radio galaxies that are thought to be the young precursors to massive radio galaxies like Centaurus A or Cygnus A. This study shows that it is possible a dense environment near the heart of some galaxies hinders and can stop galaxy growth, ensuring many of these sources never make it to massive sizes.

Reference: Callingham et al. 2017, ApJ, accepted ( astro-ph ) – Photo credit: Kim Steele & MWA collaboration