A black hole in our Galaxy is sending one of its jets almost straight toward us, an orientation rarely observed on this scale.
The system is called IRAS 18293−0941 and lies about 12,000 light-years away. It contains a massive star and a compact object identified as a black hole. The two orbit each other every 11.38 days.
Artist’s impression of IRAS 18293−0941. The system combines a massive star and a black hole whose relativistic jet is oriented almost directly toward Earth.
Credit: B. Marcote (JIVE/ASTRON) / Martí et al. 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Wikimedia image
The black hole draws in matter from its companion star. This matter forms a very hot disk around it. Some of it eventually falls toward the black hole, while some is expelled from the poles in the form of two opposing jets.
These jets are extremely fast. Observations indicate a speed close to 75% of the speed of light. Most importantly, one of them is directed almost toward us. This orientation greatly changes the way we see it from Earth.
When a jet approaches us at such a high speed, its radiation appears much more intense. The opposing jet, which is moving away, becomes much more difficult to detect. It is this particular configuration that leads researchers to call it a “microblazar.”
A microblazar is the miniature version of a blazar. In a classic blazar, a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy also sends a jet almost toward Earth. Here, the black hole is much smaller and belongs to a binary system in the Milky Way.
To study IRAS 18293−0941, the researchers combined several types of observations, including radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. They show that the jet is not limited to the immediate surroundings of the black hole. It appears to extend for about 100 light-years.
At one of its ends, this jet encounters a denser region of gas. The collision heats and ionizes this matter, producing a bright region.
Despite its orientation, this jet poses no danger to Earth. The system is far too distant. Its interest lies precisely in this almost ideal position: it amplifies what we receive and makes it possible to observe more clearly a phenomenon usually studied in very distant galaxies.
The next observations will need to clarify what happens where the jet strikes the surrounding gas. They will also help determine whether it can truly accelerate certain particles to some of the highest energies known in the Milky Way.