Abstract
The nucleus and jet of the giant elliptical galaxy M87 have been studied at radio wavelengths with resolutions ranging upwards from a few milliarc seconds1–3. The higher-resolution maps show that the nucleus consists of a bright central region with a feature with smoothly decaying brightness pointing in the direction of the larger-scale radio/optical/X-ray jet. Moreover, these maps indicate that collimation of the jet occurs within 10 marc s of the nucleus (that is, within 1 pc of the nucleus, as M87 lies at a distance of 12–20 Mpc4). We report here high-resolution, very-long-baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations at 1.35 cm wavelength, which reveal the existence of a compact core (≲0.2 marc s) and an associated extended feature (∼0.3 marc s), again pointing in the same direction as the large-scale jet. Our observations show that the radio jet is formed on a size scale of ≲10−2pc, thus strengthening the evidence for the presence of a massive black hole in the nucleus of M87.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Owen, F. N., Hardee, P. E. & Bignell, R. C. Astrophys. J. 239, L11–L15 (1980).
Reid, M. J. et al. Astrophys. J. 263, 615–623 (1982).
Charlesworth, M. & Spencer, R. E. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 200, 933–940 (1982).
Mould, J., Aaronson, M. & Huchra, J. Astrophys. J. 238, 458–470 (1980).
Young, P. J., Westphal, J. A., Kristian, J., Wilson, C. P. & Landaver, F. P. Astrophys. J. 221, 721–730 (1978).
Sargent, W. L. et al. 221, 731–744 (1978).
Stauffer, J. & Spinrad, H. Astrophys. J. 231, L51–L55 (1979).
Jenkins, C. R. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 192, 41P–45P (1980).
Nieto, J.-L. & Lelièvre, G. Astr. Astrophys. 109, 95–100 (1982).
Schreier, E. J., Gorenstein, P. & Feigelson, E. D. Astrophys. J. 261, 42–50 (1982).
Begelman, M. C., Blandford, R. D. & Rees, M. J. Rev. mod. Phys. 56, 255–351 (1984).
Readhead, A. C. S. & Wilkinson, P. N. Astrophys. J. 233, 25–36 (1978).
Blandford, R. D. & Rees, M. J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 169, 395–415 (1974).
Turland, B. D. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 170, 281–294 (1975).
Abramowicz, M. A. & Piran, T. Astrophys. J. 241, L7–L11 (1980).
Dressler, A. Astrophys. J. 240, L11–L16 (1980).
Binney, J. & Mamon, G. A. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 200, 361–375 (1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Spencer, R., Junor, W. A compact radio source in the nucleus of M87. Nature 321, 753–755 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/321753a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/321753a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
