Fig 1: Cowie1 - s-shape-jet

Radio image of the S-shaped precessing jet launched by the neutron star in Circinus X-1. Both Cir X-1 itself (centre of the image) and a background source have been subtracted from the image to make the S-shape clearer. The jets are fast, narrow flows of material outwards from Cir X-1. The size of the jets against the sky is the same apparent size as a penny viewed from 100 metres away, but their real size is greater than five light-years.