HUBBLE ATLAS
Close-up look at a jet near a black hole in galaxy M87 (ground-based view) (IRAS 12282+1240 , M 87 , Messier 87 , NGC 4486 , Virgo Galaxy) — image from the Hubble Space Telescope

Black holes

Close-up look at a jet near a black hole in galaxy M87 (ground-based view)

October 27, 1999 · ESA/Hubble · IRAS 12282+1240 , M 87 , Messier 87 , NGC 4486 , Virgo Galaxy

Zoom to full resolution Original on ESA/Hubble ↗

A Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio image of the region close to the black hole , where an extragalactic jet is formed into a narrow beam by magnetic fields. The false colour corresponds to the intensity of the radio energy being emitted by the jet. The red region is about 1/10 light-year across. The image was taken in March 1999.