Astronomers discover Milky Way's first microblazar in IRAS 18293-0941

Astronomers have identified the first confirmed microblazar within the Milky Way, located in the binary system IRAS 18293-0941. The discovery follows three decades of theoretical predictions regarding stellar-mass black holes producing relativistic jets similar to extragalactic blazars.

The system consists of a black hole with approximately ten solar masses orbiting a massive, hot star every 11.38 days. As the black hole pulls material from its companion, an accretion disk forms, launching two opposing jets at roughly three-quarters the speed of light. One of these jets is oriented almost directly toward Earth, classifying the system as a microblazar.

Previously obscured by dense interstellar gas and dust, the system was first detected by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite in 1983. Researchers confirmed the nature of the jet using high-resolution radio imaging from the European VLBI Network (EVN) and positional data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft. This verification ensured the emission originated from the stellar binary rather than a distant background galaxy.