Mind-blowing power and speed of black hole jets measured 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. Scientists determined the jet power to be equivalent to 10,000 suns. They also calculated the jet speed to be approximately 540 million km/h, or half the speed of light. Cygnus X-1 was the first black hole ever identified, more than 50 years ago.

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. 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.