Milky Way astronomers discover first microblazar

An international team of astronomers has identified the first strong candidate for a ‘microblazar’ within the Milky Way, confirming a theoretical prediction that has existed for approximately 30 years. The system, cataloged as IRAS 18293–0941, is located roughly 12,000 light-years from Earth.

The system consists of a massive, hot star and a stellar-mass black hole—approximately ten times the mass of the Sun—orbiting each other every 11.38 days. As the black hole pulls material from its companion star, it creates an accretion disk and ejects bipolar plasma jets at speeds reaching about 75% of the speed of light. The system is classified as a microblazar because one of these jets is oriented almost directly toward Earth, making it appear significantly brighter due to relativistic effects.

The discovery, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, involved synthesizing data across multiple wavelengths, including X-rays, gamma rays, radio waves, and visible light. Researchers utilized the European VLBI Network and theoretical models developed by scientists from the University of Jaén and the National University of La Plata to confirm the system's nature and explain its complex physical emissions.