Thursday, November 12, 2026

Astrophysicists Want to Forecast When a Black Hole Launches Its Jets

This illustration shows an x-ray binary system, where a black hole draws gas from a donor star, usually a main sequence star. The gas gathers in a rotating accretion disk around the black hole, and some of it is ejected in powerful jets. The material in the disk becomes super-heated and emits x-rays. Japanese researchers watched four x-ray binaries and their disks for clues to how to predict when they launch their powerful jets. Image Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss.

Astrophysical jets are enormously powerful and energetic phenomena. Black holes launch them from their poles and they can extend enormous distances into space, disrupting star formation in adjacent regions. Astrophysicists want to be able to forecast when they're launched so they can understand theire extreme physics better. New research is making progress in understanding when they are triggered.



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