First Measurement of Black Hole Jet Power and Speed Reveals Cosmic Forces

An international research team has for the first time measured the instantaneous power and speed of jets emanating from a black hole, using 18 years of high-resolution radio imaging from a global telescope network. The study, led by Steve Prabu while at Curtin University and published in Nature Astronomy, focused on Cygnus X-1, a system 7,200 light-years away containing a black hole and a blue supergiant star. The jets, described as 'dancing jets' by Prabu, were found to have a power equivalent to 10,000 suns and travel at roughly 540 million km/h, half the speed of light. Previously, such measurements required averaging over tens of thousands of years. The team calculated these values by observing how the jets were bent by the stellar wind and through computer modeling. This breakthrough helps scientists understand how black holes influence galaxy formation and cosmic structures.