Scientists from the University of Oxford have successfully measured the power of a black hole's jets, which can fling material outwards at speeds close to that of light. The Cygnus X-1 system, the first discovered, is a system that includes a massive black hole and a companion star. The black hole has been feeding on material from the companion star for about 20,000 years, capturing the star's powerful stellar wind using its intense gravitational pull. The resulting jets can carry energy away from close to the black hole out to a distance a trillion times greater, 16 light-years away. Despite their importance, measuring the instantaneous power of these jets has been a major challenge until now. The study also revealed that the wind from the nearby companion star is strong enough to bend the jets. The discovery of this cosmic dance reveals how powerful these winds can be.