Astronomers have identified a new type of cosmic object — a microblazar — that is firing a jet of radioactive plasma toward Earth, but experts say there is no cause for concern.
The discovery, led by Josep Martí of the University of Jaén in Spain, centers on a stellar black hole called IRAS 18293−0941, which is ejecting a jet of plasma at about 75% of the speed of light. The findings are published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
What is a microblazar?
Blazars are quasars — supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies that emit powerful jets of matter. A microblazar is the same phenomenon on a much smaller scale, and its existence had been theorized but not confirmed until now.
IRAS 18293−0941 is a stellar black hole, formed from a collapsed star, that orbits a giant, hot star. It continuously pulls matter from its companion and ejects it as two violent jets of energy.
Martí told Metro: “I have always been impressed by how Mother Nature mimics itself at very different scales. Somehow, it reminds me of the analogy between the solar system and the electrons orbiting the nucleus of an atom.”
Should we worry?
Despite the jet pointing toward Earth, Martí assures there is no danger. The microblazar is about 12,000 light-years away, or roughly 70,500,500,400,000,000 miles.
“Concerning possible worries, please stay calm. None at all. These objects are very, very far away,” he said. “We would experience a significant increase in radiation effects if Earth were caught in the firing line, but this is not a realistic hypothesis and no risk of this kind exists. Humankind has many other problems to worry about.”
A rare find
IRAS 18293−0941 was discovered in 1983 but is hidden behind a thick veil of dust, making it nearly invisible to telescopes. The research team used archival data from the Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory in Spain and the MeerKAT radio telescope array in South Africa to observe it.
Microblazars are short-lived on cosmic timescales, lasting only about 100,000 years, so spotting one was almost a fluke. Kinwah Wu, a theoretical astrophysicist at University College London who was not involved in the research, called the find significant. “We can use them to study a lot of fundamental and most extreme processes in astrophysics and physics,” she told Metro, adding that they could help explain how particles move at high speeds or whether they are a source of cosmic rays hitting Earth. “They are rare, powerful sources within our own galaxy.”
