Overview

• A reconstructed VLBA radio image shows a near-perfect ring-shaped magnetic field encircling PKS 1424+240’s relativistic jet.
• The jet’s orientation almost directly toward Earth amplifies its apparent brightness by roughly 30 times through relativistic beaming.
• A frontal viewing angle explains the jet’s previously puzzling slow apparent motion as a projection effect.
• Polarization measurements enabled detailed mapping of the jet’s magnetic geometry, constraining models of particle acceleration.
• The striking morphology earned the informal “Eye of Sauron” nickname, which was accepted by journal editors in the Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters paper.