Scientists have for the first time measured the instantaneous power of jets blasting from a black hole, according to research published Thursday in Nature Astronomy. The international team found that jets from the Cygnus X-1 black hole system generate power equivalent to 10,000 suns and travel at roughly 355 million mph, or half the speed of light.

The research focused on Cygnus X-1, located 7,200 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation. This binary system consists of a black hole paired with a blue supergiant star and holds historical significance as the first black hole ever identified, discovered in the 1960s.

Steve Prabu from the University of Oxford led the study, which analyzed 18 years of high-resolution radio imaging data from a global telescope network. The team was able to measure the jets' power by observing how they were pushed and bent by the stellar wind from the companion star, combined with computer modeling.

Previously, scientists could only calculate average jet power over tens of thousands of years. The new measurements revealed that 10% of all energy released as matter falls toward the black hole is carried away by the jets. The black hole continuously pulls gases from its stellar companion as they orbit each other.

The findings provide new insights into how black holes influence galaxy formation and cosmic structures through large-scale shocks and turbulence. Prabu plans to apply similar measurement techniques to study jets from other black hole systems to expand understanding of these energetic cosmic phenomena.