The digestive system of the mass monster M87

Artist's impression of the centre of an active galaxy like M87. Matter flows along a disk towards the central black hole, while some of the matter is accelerated out along a focused jet. Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF - A few years ago, the image of an orange glowing donut caused a sensation. For the first time, researchers have captured an image of the immediate vicinity of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy M87. This galaxy is known for a jet that accelerates matter far out of the galaxy, driven by the central black hole. How exactly the jet is anchored in the vicinity of the black hole and how the matter streams into the jet is not yet fully understood. Astronomers, with the participation of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, are now providing new answers.