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AsteriaStar
Black-hole process

Relativistic Jet

A narrow beam of plasma launched at nearly the speed of light from the vicinity of an accreting black hole — from stellar black holes in binaries and from the supermassive black holes powering active galaxies. Jets can span from light-years to millions of light-years and are thought to be powered by the black hole's spin and magnetic fields.

Highlights

  • Plasma beamed at near light speed from an accreting black hole

Across compact objects

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.