Researchers from the University of Oxford and Curtin University have captured the first detailed images of a “dancing” jet emitted by a black hole system, revealing new insights into its extreme power and behaviour. Using continent-scale radio telescope networks, including the Very Long Baseline Array and the European VLBI Network, the team studied Cygnus X-1, the first confirmed black hole system.
The observations showed the jet bending as it orbited a massive companion star, allowing scientists to measure its instantaneous energy output. Results indicate the jet carries about 10% of the energy from infalling matter and releases power equivalent to 10,000 Suns. The jets were also found to travel at roughly half the speed of light.
Published in Nature Astronomy, the study confirms long-standing simulation assumptions about black hole feedback and provides a new method for measuring jet power in extreme cosmic environments.
