Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

X-ray spacecraft reveals odd 'Cloverleaf' radio circle in new light (image)

A splotchy pink and blue blob in the center of the image. In the background, space.

XMM-Newton, a European Space Agency and NASA-operated space telescope, has imaged a vast cosmic "Cloverleaf" to uncover its mysterious origins.

The Cloverleaf is an example of an "odd radio circle," or ORC. These objects are strange bubbles of radio light that are so huge they can be thousands of times the width of the Milky Way, thus encompassing an entire galaxy — sometimes, many.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.