The black hole, located 7,000 light-years from Earth in the binary system Cygnus X-1, produces jets that travel at 150,000 km per second, according to multiple reports. The jets only use about 10 percent of the energy consumed by the black hole as it feeds. The supermassive star in Cygnus X-1 creates solar winds that eject 100 million times more mass every second than our sun at speeds three to four times higher.
These winds bend the jets by about two degrees. According to Daily Mail - Science & Tech, Professor James Miller-Jones described that knowing the strength of the wind from the star allowed the team to calculate the jet's power. The measurement was made possible by the global radio telescope array, which effectively scanned the entire planet.
Since we know how strong the wind from the star is, we know how much force it creates on the jet. This allows us to figure out how powerful the jet is.
As matter spirals in towards a black hole, it carries magnetic fields with it, and as these magnetic field lines get wound up, they help launch the jet.
This new measurement finally allows us to accurately determine w