Possible microblazar in the Milky Way: black hole jet at about seventy-five percent of light speed

A possible microblazar has been identified in the Milky Way, according to catracalivre.com.br. The system lies about twelve thousand light-years from Earth and combines a massive star with a compact object, a stellar-mass black hole catracalivre.com.brcatracalivre.com.brcatracalivre.com.brOpen source ↗. The study was led by Josep Martí and published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

The black hole continuously draws in material from the neighbouring star. Under these extreme conditions it launches highly energetic beams that cross great distances within the galaxy. The publication describes this as one of the most violent manifestations of relativistic jets observed by astronomers.

Two jets, one pointed at Earth

The black hole expels two streams of matter in opposite directions. Each reaches about seventy-five percent of the speed of light. One of them points almost directly toward Earth. Because of the relativistic Doppler effect, its emission appears considerably amplified to instruments on the planet's surface.

The opposite jet remains practically hidden. It collides with a dense molecular cloud, which triggers complex physical processes catracalivre.com.brcatracalivre.com.brcatracalivre.com.brOpen source ↗. The impact on interstellar matter creates a region suitable for accelerating atomic components.

Mapping and open questions

The structure was mapped with the MeerKAT radio telescope and the European VLBI Network. They revealed a formation extending one hundred light-years in length. Records from the LHAASO observatory suggest the presence of particles with extraordinary energy in the same region of space.

Scientists assess that the violent interaction of the hidden jet with the cloud may generate intense gamma rays and push particles to energy levels without known precedent in the galaxy. This is an assessment, not an established result: definitive confirmation of the link between the hidden jet and the accelerated particles still requires further analysis, and the data remain under evaluation.

According to the publication, the jet's direction toward Earth does not make the phenomenon a threat, since the distance of twelve thousand light-years is enough to dissipate any direct impact catracalivre.com.brcatracalivre.com.brcatracalivre.com.brOpen source ↗. The authors regard the system as a natural laboratory for studying the evolution of extreme binary systems.

The list of features highlighted by the research teams includes the structure of about one hundred light-years, refined MeerKAT data, high-resolution mapping from the European VLBI Network, and a possible link to sources of ultra-high-energy gamma rays.