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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Black Hole Blasts Energy of 10,000 Suns — Scientists Capture It Live for the First Time

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have, for the first time, directly measured the real-time power of jets blasting out of a black hole—and the results are nothing short of astonishing. These cosmic jets, shooting out at nearly half the speed of light, carry energy equal to 10,000 suns.

This remarkable finding comes from an international team of researchers studying the famous black hole system Cygnus X-1, located about 7,200 light-years away from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.

A Historic First in Black Hole Science

Black holes are known for their intense gravity, pulling in everything that comes too close—even light. But they don’t just consume matter; they also release enormous amounts of energy through powerful jets.

Until now, scientists could only estimate the strength of these jets by averaging their effects over tens of thousands of years. But this new research has changed that. Using advanced observations, researchers have successfully measured the instantaneous power of these jets in real time.

The study was led by Steve Prabu from the University of Oxford, based on nearly two decades of data collected through a global network of radio telescopes.

Jets Moving at Half the Speed of Light

The team discovered that the jets from Cygnus X-1 travel at around 355 million miles per hour (540 million km/h)—which is roughly half the speed of light. At such extreme speeds, these jets can stretch across vast distances in space, influencing their surroundings in dramatic ways.

What makes this discovery even more fascinating is how scientists measured this power. Instead of observing the jets directly, they studied how the jets were bent by the powerful wind coming from the system’s companion star—a massive blue supergiant.

A Cosmic Dance Between Star and Black Hole

Cygnus X-1 is not just a black hole—it is part of a binary system, meaning it has a companion star. This massive blue supergiant constantly loses material through strong stellar winds. The black hole pulls in this gas, feeding on it and converting part of it into energy.

As the jets blast outward from the black hole, they collide with the incoming stellar wind. This interaction causes the jets to bend, almost like a stream of water being pushed by strong wind. Scientists used this bending effect, along with computer simulations, to calculate the jets’ power.

Prabu described these as “dancing jets,” shaped by the push and pull between the black hole and its stellar companion.

10% of Energy Escapes as Jets

One of the most important findings from this study is that about 10% of the energy generated as matter falls into the black hole is not swallowed—but instead is blasted back into space through these jets.

This is a crucial insight. It tells scientists that black holes are not just cosmic vacuum cleaners—they are also powerful engines that redistribute energy across the universe.

Why This Discovery Matters

Understanding black hole jets is key to solving bigger cosmic mysteries. These jets can:

  • Shape the formation of galaxies

  • Create massive shockwaves in space

  • Stir up turbulence across interstellar regions

  • Influence star formation over vast distances

In short, black holes play a much more active role in the universe than previously thought.

By measuring jet power in real time, scientists now have a new tool to better understand how these extreme objects interact with their environment.

A System That Changed Astronomy Forever

Cygnus X-1 holds a special place in scientific history. Discovered in the 1960s, it was the first widely accepted black hole candidate, helping confirm that black holes are not just theoretical ideas, but real objects in space.

Even today, it continues to reveal new secrets. Despite being relatively small compared to supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, it provides a perfect laboratory for studying black hole behavior up close.

The Technology Behind the Breakthrough

This discovery was made possible through 18 years of high-resolution radio observations, collected by a global network of telescopes. By combining long-term data with modern computer modeling, scientists achieved a level of precision never seen before.

This method marks a major shift in how astronomers study black holes—not just by observing their long-term impact, but by capturing their activity as it happens.

What Comes Next?

The research team plans to apply the same technique to other black hole systems across the universe. If successful, this could open the door to a deeper understanding of how black holes influence everything from nearby stars to entire galaxies.

As Prabu noted, measuring jet power in multiple systems would be “incredibly exciting,” potentially revealing patterns and behaviors that were previously impossible to detect.

A New Era of Black Hole Exploration

This discovery represents a major step forward in astrophysics. For the first time, scientists have been able to watch and measure the raw power of a black hole in action—not as a distant, averaged estimate, but as a real-time cosmic event.

It changes how we see black holes—not just as destroyers, but as dynamic forces that shape the universe in powerful and unexpected ways.

And perhaps most exciting of all, this is just the beginning.

Reference: Prabu, S., Miller-Jones, J.C.A., Bahramian, A. et al. A jet bent by a stellar wind in the black hole X-ray binary Cygnus X-1. Nat Astron (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02828-3

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