Astronomers measure the mind-blowing power and speed of black hole jets for the first time
An international research team has, for the first time, measured the instantaneous power and speed of jets emanating from the black hole system Cygnus X-1. Located 7,200 light-years away, Cygnus X-1 consists of a black hole and a blue supergiant star.
Briefing Summary
AI-generatedAn international research team has, for the first time, measured the instantaneous power and speed of jets emanating from the black hole system Cygnus X-1. Located 7,200 light-years away, Cygnus X-1 consists of a black hole and a blue supergiant star. Using 18 years of high-resolution radio imaging, the team determined the jet power to be equivalent to 10,000 suns and the jet speed to be roughly half the speed of light (355 million mph). Researchers were able to measure the jets' power by observing how much they were bent by the star's wind. The study, led by Curtin University and published in Nature Astronomy, revealed that 10% of the energy released as matter falls into the black hole is carried away by these jets.
Article analysis
Model · rule-basedKey claims
5 extracted10% of all the energy released as matter falls toward the black hole is carried away by the jets.
Cygnus X-1 is located 7,200 light-years away and features a black hole and a blue supergiant star.
The jet speed is roughly 355 million mph (540 million kph) — half the speed of light.
The jet power from Cygnus X-1 is equivalent to 10,000 suns.
Scientists have measured the instantaneous power of jets blasting from a black hole.