The Inner Jet of the Radio Galaxy M87

The Inner Jet of the Radio Galaxy M87 located in the Virgo cluster at a distance of only 16 Megaparsec (52 million light years). The angular resolution of this false-color radio image made by the NRAO Very Long Baseline Array at 2 cm is fifty times better than the one of the Hubble Space Telescope. The linear resolution is about three light months. The image shows a limb brightened jet and a faint counter-jet. The central gap is consistent with the presence of a fast inner jet which is beamed away from the observer surrounded by a slower moving outer plasma seen by the VLBA.

This 2 cm logarithmic false-color image was obtained from a full track in hour angle using the VLBA along with one VLA antenna on 2000 May 8 at 256 Mbps. The FWHM of the beam is of 0.6 by 1.3 mas at P.A.=-11 degrees (natural weighting). The peak intensity is 1.00 Jy/beam and the off-source rms noise 64 micro-Jy/beam. The corresponding dynamic range is better than 15,000 to 1.

Legacy Astronomical Images

NRAO/AUI/NSF does not hold full copyright for this image. Contact the archivist for details.

Legacy Astronomical Image

M87

Y. Y. Kovalev, MPIfR and ASC Lebedev

Y. Y. Kovalev (MPIfR & ASC Lebedev), M. L. Lister (Purdue U.), D. C. Homan (Denison U.), K. I. Kellermann (NRAO)

Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)

2000-05-08

continuum

RA 12:30:49.400, Dec: 12:23:28.000 (J2000)

0.000030 x 0.000023 degrees

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Active Galactic Nuclei Series

Radio Galaxies Unit