New observations with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) provide fresh insights into where the powerful jet of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) originates. Using recently published 2021 EHT data, an international team led by researchers from MPIfR, NRAO, and CITA has identified strong evidence for a compact region close to the black hole that likely marks the base of the jet.
By comparing radio emission on different spatial scales, the team found that part of the emission cannot be explained by the bright ring of hot gas alone, but is best described by a previously undetected jet component at 230 GHz, located only about 0.09 light-years from the black hole. This result represents an important step toward directly linking the black hole’s shadow to the launching of relativistic jets. The study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Read the full MPIfR press release
Image © Bottom: Saurabh et al.: “Probing jet base emission of M87* with the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope observations”,