Summary
Scientists have measured the power and speed of jets coming from a black hole for the first time. The black hole in the Cygnus X-1 system shoots jets at about half the speed of light, with energy equal to 10,000 times that of the sun.
Key Facts
- Cygnus X-1 is a system 7,200 light-years away, consisting of a black hole and a large blue supergiant star.
- The black hole’s jets travel at about 355 million miles per hour (540 million kilometers per hour), nearly half the speed of light.
- The power of the jets is equal to 10,000 suns combined.
- Scientists measured the jets’ power by observing how the star’s strong wind bends the jets.
- This study was based on 18 years of detailed radio telescope images from a global network.
- About 10% of the energy from material falling into the black hole is pushed out by these jets.
- The black hole pulls gas from its companion star to fuel the jets.
- Understanding these jets helps researchers learn how black holes affect their galaxies.
