Black hole in Milky Way directs matter jet toward Earth

Astronomers have identified a binary system in the Milky Way containing a black hole that directs a powerful jet of matter toward Earth. Located approximately 12,000 light-years away, the source, designated IRAS 18293−0941, resides in a region obscured by interstellar dust.

The system consists of a massive star and a black hole that orbit each other every 11.38 days. As the black hole consumes matter from the star, it ejects two opposing relativistic jets at speeds reaching nearly 75% of the speed of light. One of these jets is oriented almost directly toward Earth.

This discovery, coordinated by astrophysicist Josep Martí from the University of Jaén and published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, may provide observational confirmation of ‘microblazars.’ These are considered smaller-scale versions of blazars, which are highly energetic active galactic nuclei powered by supermassive black holes.