An astrophysical jet caught in a “Speed Trap”

The microquasar SS 433 stands out as a very intriguing object within our Milky Way. Notably, a pair of oppositely directed beams of plasma jets spiral away perpendicularly from its surface at very high velocities. The H.E.S.S. observatory in Namibia has succeeded in detecting very high energy gamma rays from these jets, and identifying the exact location within the jets of one of the galaxy's most effective particle accelerators. Through comparison of gamma-ray images at different energies, we revealed the motion and dynamics of a relativistic jet in our own galaxy.