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{{Short description|Citizen science collaboratory}}
{{excessive citations|date=December 2025}}
[[File:RAD J131346.9+500320.png|thumb|The twin ring Odd Radio Circle (ORC) RAD J131346.9+500320 discovered by RAD@home citizen science research collaboratory. This is currently (2025) the farthest and the most powerful ORC.]]
'''RAD@home''' is a [[citizen science]] research [[collaboratory]] in India and the first such collaboration in Indian astronomy. It focuses on training university science students to make radio astronomy discoveries using the [[Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope|GMRT]], which is a [[Square Kilometre Array|SKA]] pathfinder radio telescope, and other telescopes operating in multiple bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Citizen Science {{!}} SKAO |url=https://www.skao.int/en/resources/outreach-education/citizen-science |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=www.skao.int}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-09 |title=How to run a successful citizen science project |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/news/how-to-run-successful-citizen-science-project |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=Nature Index |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=#RADatHomeIndia a Collaboratory model of citizen science research |url=https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/talk/112/ |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=astro4edu.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mondal |first=Monika |date=2025-11-08 |title=Mumbai-led team helps reveal mysterious twin rings around galaxy |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/rad-at-home-hota-double-odd-radio-circles-citizen-astronomy/article70235060.ece |access-date=2025-12-08 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=bhuyan |first=Avantika |date=2020-10-01 |title=How citizen scientists are shaping the future of Indian research |url=https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/ideas/how-citizen-scientists-are-shaping-the-future-of-indian-research-111601435093020.html |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=mint |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-07 |title=They study galaxies, help predict landslides: Meet India's citizen scientists |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/science/they-study-galaxies-help-predict-landslides-meet-india-s-citizen-scientists/story-oa9N5IdjNbeLO6sCJy56NJ.html |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Marshall |first1=Philip J. |last2=Lintott |first2=Chris J. |last3=Fletcher |first3=Leigh N. |date=2015-08-18 |title=Ideas for Citizen Science in Astronomy |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-astro-081913-035959 |journal=Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics |language=en |volume=53 |pages=247–278 |doi=10.1146/annurev-astro-081913-035959 |arxiv=1409.4291 |bibcode=2015ARA&A..53..247M |issn=0066-4146}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-02-09 |title=Inspired by a Bollywood flick and power of Facebook, Indian scientist builds army of e-astronomers- Technology News, Firstpost |url=https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/inspired-by-a-bollywood-flick-and-power-of-facebook-indian-scientist-builds-army-of-e-astronomers-4343921.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603050941/https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/inspired-by-a-bollywood-flick-and-power-of-facebook-indian-scientist-builds-army-of-e-astronomers-4343921.html |archive-date=2023-06-03 |access-date=2025-12-08 |work=Tech2 |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref> It was designed to help students and the public to understand multi-wavelength images of galaxies, taken primarily from radio surveys such as NVSS (1400 MHz) with the [[Very Large Array|VLA]] and TGSS (150 MHz) with the GMRT.<ref>{{Cite arXiv |last1=Hota |first1=Ananda |last2=Croston |first2=Judith H. |last3=Ohyama |first3=Youichi |last4=Stalin |first4=C. S. |last5=Hardcastle |first5=Martin J. |last6=Konar |first6=Chiranjib |last7=Aravind |first7=R. P. |last8=Agarwal |first8=Sheena M. |last9=Bhoga |first9=Sai Arun Dharmik |date=2014-02-15 |title=New results on the exotic galaxy 'Speca' and discovering many more Specas with RAD@home network |class=astro-ph.GA |eprint=1402.3674v1 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Hota |first1=Ananda |last2=Konar |first2=C. |last3=Stalin |first3=C. S. |last4=Vaddi |first4=Sravani |last5=Mohanty |first5=Pradeepta K. |last6=Dabhade |first6=Pratik |last7=Dharmik Bhoga |first7=Sai Arun |last8=Rajoria |first8=Megha |last9=Sethi |first9=Sagar |date=2016-12-10 |title=Tracking Galaxy Evolution Through Low-Frequency Radio Continuum Observations using SKA and Citizen-Science Research using Multi-Wavelength Data |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-016-9415-8 |journal=Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy |language=en |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=41 |doi=10.1007/s12036-016-9415-8 |arxiv=1610.09798 |bibcode=2016JApA...37...41H |issn=0973-7758}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Hota |first1=Ananda |last2=Dabhade |first2=Pratik |last3=Machado |first3=Prasun |last4=Kumar |first4=Avinash |last5=Avinash |first5=Ck. |last6=Manaswini |first6=Ninisha |last7=Das |first7=Joydeep |last8=Sethi |first8=Sagar |last9=Sahoo |first9=Sumanta |last10=Dubal |first10=Shilpa |last11=Bhoga |first11=Sai Arun Dharmik |last12=Navaneeth |first12=P. K. |last13=Konar |first13=Chiranjib |last14=Pal |first14=Sabyasachi |last15=Vaddi |first15=Sravani |chapter=Ten Years of Searching for Relics of AGN Jet Feedback Through RAD@home Citizen Science |series=Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings |date=2025 |volume=61 |editor-last=Ghosh |editor-first=Shubhrangshu |editor2-last=Rao |editor2-first=A. R. |title=The Relativistic Universe: From Classical to Quantum |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-90186-7_23 |language=en |location=Cham |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland |pages=293–306 |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-90186-7_23 |isbn=978-3-031-90186-7}}</ref>

In 2022, the Collaboratory, led by its founder Ananda Hota, discovered a unique [[Active galactic nucleus|AGN]] where the [[Astrophysical jet|radio jet]] appeared to hit a neighbouring galaxy and bounced back forming a mushroom-shaped radio bubble.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simion @Yonescat |first=Florin |date=2022-10-11 |title=Black hole discovered firing jet at neighbouring galaxy |url=https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/black-hole-discovered-firing-jet-neighbouring-galaxy |access-date=2025-12-05 |website=The Royal Astronomical Society |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=2022-10-19 |title=A black hole is firing jets into a neighbouring galaxy |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d44151-022-00112-7 |journal=Nature India |language=en |doi=10.1038/d44151-022-00112-7}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Hota |first1=Ananda |last2=Dabhade |first2=Pratik |last3=Vaddi |first3=Sravani |last4=Konar |first4=Chiranjib |last5=Pal |first5=Sabyasachi |last6=Gulati |first6=Mamta |last7=Stalin |first7=C S |last8=Avinash |first8=Ck |last9=Kumar |first9=Avinash |last10=Rajoria |first10=Megha |last11=Purohit |first11=Arundhati |date=2022-10-12 |title=RAD@home citizen science discovery of an active galactic nucleus spewing a large unipolar radio bubble on to its merging companion galaxy |url=https://academic.oup.com/mnrasl/article/517/1/L86/6755525 |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters |language=en |volume=517 |issue=1 |pages=L86–L91 |doi=10.1093/mnrasl/slac116 |doi-access=free |issn=1745-3925}}</ref> Initial hints of this rare process had been seen in the archival data, but confirmation was not achieved until targeted observation with the GMRT telescope at 325 MHz, or 90 cm, band. In October 2025, the Collaboratory discovered the farthest and the most powerful [[odd radio circle]] (ORC), named [[RAD J131346.9+500320]]; it was also the first ORC to be discovered through citizen science.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Simion @Yonescat |first=Florin |date=2025-10-02 |title=Most powerful 'odd radio circle' to date is discovered |url=https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/most-powerful-odd-radio-circle-date-discovered |access-date=2025-12-05 |website=The Royal Astronomical Society |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=2025-10-09 |title=Most powerful 'Odd Radio Circle' so far discovered |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d44151-025-00185-0 |journal=Nature India |language=en |doi=10.1038/d44151-025-00185-0 |doi-broken-date=8 December 2025 |issn=1755-3180}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Strickland |first=Ashley |date=2025-10-14 |title=Astronomers discover rare double-ringed odd radio circle in space |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/14/science/odd-radio-circles-double-rings |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-19 |title=First Indian Citizen Science Research initiative: Researchers discover most powerful 'odd radio circle' with help of citizen scientists |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/first-indian-citizen-science-research-initiative-researchers-discover-most-powerful-odd-radio-circle-10316485/ |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Hota |first1=Ananda |last2=Dabhade |first2=Pratik |last3=Machado |first3=Prasun |last4=Das |first4=Joydeep |last5=Muley |first5=Aarti |last6=Purohit |first6=Arundhati |date=2025-09-25 |title=RAD@home discovery of extragalactic radio rings and odd radio circles: clues to their origins |url=https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/543/2/1048/8267915 |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |language=en |volume=543 |issue=2 |pages=1048–1057 |doi=10.1093/mnras/staf1531 |doi-access=free |issn=0035-8711}}</ref> The ORC was spotted by trained citizen scientists analysing the 144 MHz radio images of the sky obtained by the European [[Low-Frequency Array|LOFAR]] radio telescope. This ORC was also the first to be discovered from LOFAR low frequency data.<ref name=":3" /> The other kinds of astronomical objects that the Collaboratory has discovered and published include episodic radio galaxies (a.k.a. Double-Double Radio Galaxies), relic/remnant radio lobes, large radio lobes associated with spiral galaxies which can be compared to the exotic new class of radio galaxies known as [[Speca]] etc.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Apoorva |first1=Prakash |last2=Hota |first2=Ananda |last3=Dabhade |first3=Pratik |last4=Navaneeth |first4=P. K. |last5=Nayak |first5=Dhruv |last6=Purohit |first6=Arundhati |date=2025-08-22 |title=RAD@home Citizen Science Discovery of Two Spiral Galaxies Where the 30–220 kpc Radio Lobes Are Possibly Shaped by Ram Pressure Stripping |journal=Galaxies |language=en |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=98 |doi=10.3390/galaxies13050098 |arxiv=2508.09518 |bibcode=2025Galax..13...98A |doi-access=free |issn=2075-4434}}</ref>

Other than contributing to scientific discoveries, the Collaboratory has also been recognised for its innovative approach to education and outreach in astronomy, particularly in radio astronomy.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=Bagla |first1=J. S. |last2=Das |first2=Mousumi |last3=Datta |first3=Abhirup |last4=Gogoi |first4=Rupjyoti |last5=Hota |first5=Ananda |last6=Kembhavi |first6=Ajit |last7=Malik |first7=Manzoor A. |last8=Misra |first8=R. |last9=Pai |first9=Archana |last10=Pandey |first10=Shashi Bhushan |last11=Pandey |first11=S. K. |last12=Rastogi |first12=Shantanu |last13=Ravikumar |first13=C. D. |date=2025-02-19 |title=Human resource development in astronomy: An Indian perspective |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-025-10041-3 |journal=Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy |language=en |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=18 |doi=10.1007/s12036-025-10041-3 |bibcode=2025JApA...46...18B |issn=0973-7758}}</ref> Through a combination of online and offline citizen science workshops, organised in collaboration with national research and educational institutes, it has trained thousands of Indian citizens and students to understand radio observations of galaxies using the GMRT. Following these workshops, trained citizen scientists (also known as e-astronomers and i-astronomers) continue their engagement by participating in weekend online e-classes. These e-classes further enable them to discover new radio sources, primarily using TGSS 150 MHz imaging data obtained with the GMRT. In follow-up observation proposals, these co-discovering e-/i-astronomers are included as formal co-investigators.<ref name=":0" /> Through this process, e-/i-astronomers also become co-authors on papers published by the Collaboratory that report citizen-science discoveries, with or without GMRT follow-up observations.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> Participation in genuine scientific discoveries has helped many students secure admission to Master’s and PhD programmes, both in India and abroad. Thus, despite operating with zero dedicated funding and infrastructure, the Collaboratory has made significant contributions to human resource development and to preparing the next generation of astronomers for upcoming mega-facility projects such as the [[Square Kilometre Array|SKA]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" />

== References ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Citizen science]]
[[Category:Radio astronomy research institutes]]

RAD@home - Revision history

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