Artist's impression of the black hole system MAXI J1820+070

An artist's impression of the black hole system MAXI J1820+070, based upon observed characteristics. The black hole is seen to feed off the companion star, drawing the material out into a vast disc of inspiralling matter. As it falls closer to the black hole itself, some of that material is shot out into energetic pencil-beam 'jets' above and below the disc. The light here is intense enough to outshine the Sun a thousand times over. ©John Paice