The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Artist’s impression of a black hole feasting on matter from its companion star in a binary system. Matter flows from the star towards the black hole and forms an accretion disc with a temperature so high that it emits X-rays. The black hole can be a fussy eater: instead of swallowing all of the material, it sometimes pushes a fraction of it away in the form of two powerful jets of particles.
A team of astronomers studying the jets of the binary system 4U1630-47 have confirmed that black hole jets not only consist of electrons but also contain heavier particles, like protons or atomic nuclei. This means that jets can carry mass and energy away from the black hole in much larger amounts than previously thought.