V 4641 is a visible star that is associated with a black hole. For a few days in September, 1999 the blackhole became a microquasar, sending out tremendous bursts of X-ray radiation and jets of plasma at speeds of 90 percent the speed of light. V 4641 lies just 1,600 light-years from Earth towards the centre of the Milky Way in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius.
These three radio images were made by the Very Large Array in Soccorro, New Mexico on Sept. 16 and 17, 1999, and show the activity of V 4641's jets over a period of 30 minutes.