Overview
- The Nature Astronomy study, published Thursday, finds Cygnus X-1’s jets move at about half the speed of light and carry power comparable to roughly 10,000 Suns.
- Researchers combined 18 years of very long baseline interferometry images to track how the companion star’s powerful wind bent the jets.
- By modeling that deflection, the team directly calculated the jets’ instantaneous force, speed, and power rather than relying on long-term averages from giant gas bubbles.
- The analysis shows about 10% of the energy released as matter falls toward the black hole is funneled into the jets, giving a clear way to balance a black hole’s energy budget.
- Cygnus X-1 lies about 7,200 light-years away and pairs a ~21-solar-mass black hole with a massive, wind-blowing O-type star, and the technique now offers a template for similar measurements with networks like the EVN, VLBA, and the upcoming SKA.