Earth Is In Firing Line Of A New Type Of Object: Here's All About Microblazar

Scientists have found the strongest candidate yet for a new type of cosmic object - the 'microblazar'. So far, this object has existed only in theory where it is described as something that is powered by a black hole and fires a powerful beam of particles directly towards Earth at the speed of light. The discovery has been made by a team of astronomers in Spain, the Netherlands and Argentina and their study detailing the object has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

What Is A Microblazar?

Think of a microblazar as a smaller cousin of a blazar. Both produce powerful jets of particles, but while a blazar is powered by a giant black hole at the centre of a galaxy, a microblazar involves a black hole with the mass of a star.

These black holes can have a stellar companion. As the black hole pulls in material from the nearby star, some of that matter helps power jets that shoot out into space.

Why Is It Called A Cosmic Spotlight?

What's interesting about a microblazar is: When one of these jets points towards Earth, it can appear incredibly bright. The particles move so fast that their radiation is boosted by an effect known as Doppler boosting.

It's a little like a spotlight aimed straight at you. The jet isn't necessarily producing more energy just because we're looking at it; its orientation makes it appear brighter to us.

Why Are Scientists Excited About The New Candidate?

The system attracting attention is called IRAS 18293-0941. It is estimated to be around 12,000 light years from Earth.

The black hole and its companion star orbit each other roughly every 11 days. Researchers have also observed a jet travelling at about 75% of the speed of light.

The jet appears to interact with surrounding material, making the system an exciting place to investigate how black holes release energy into space.

Is It Dangerous For Earth?

Despite the dramatic image of a cosmic jet pointing in our direction, there is no indication that this object poses a threat to Earth. It is thousands of light-years away, and the alignment is scientifically interesting rather than a reason for alarm.