Astronomers capture sharpest image of M87 black hole jet
Astronomers have obtained the clearest view yet of the powerful jet emanating from the supermassive black hole in the Messier 87 galaxy. Using the Event Horizon Telescope, researchers revealed intricate details of the jet's base. This breakthrough sheds light on how black holes launch such cosmic phenomena.
The supermassive black hole at the center of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy, located about 55 million light years from Earth, has long fascinated scientists due to its immense size and activity. This black hole, with a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun, was first imaged in 2019 by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, marking a historic achievement in astronomy.
Building on that milestone, the EHT team has now produced the sharpest-ever image of the relativistic jet blasting from the black hole. The observation was conducted in April 2017, but advanced data processing techniques allowed for this detailed release, published in the journal Nature on October 23, 2024. The image captures the jet's base in exquisite detail, spanning a region just 30 times the black hole's event horizon diameter.
Key features include a bright 'spine' along the jet's axis and fainter 'sheaths' on either side, suggesting a double helical structure. The jet itself stretches over 5,000 light years and propels particles at nearly the speed of light, powered by the black hole's accretion disk.
"This is the first time we can see the launch site of the jet," said Mariafelicia De Laurentis, principal investigator of the EHT's M87 working group and director of the Naples Institute for Nuclear Physics in Italy. The image's resolution, achieved through global radio telescope synchronization, is over 10 times sharper than previous views.
This discovery provides crucial insights into the mechanisms driving jet formation, potentially informing models of galaxy evolution and active galactic nuclei. While the jet's exact composition remains under study, the data confirms its role in distributing energy across vast cosmic distances. Future EHT observations may further refine these findings, enhancing our understanding of black hole dynamics.