In this article, we will be talking about the latest breakthroughs from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, which have provided unprecedented insights into the relativistic jet emitted by M87*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy.
M87*: A Giant Among Black Holes
M87*, located roughly 55 million light-years from Earth, is one of the most massive black holes ever observed, with a mass exceeding 6.5 billion Suns. It first gained global attention in 2019 when the EHT captured the first-ever image of a black hole, revealing its now-famous shadow surrounded by a glowing ring of hot gas.
Beyond its size, M87* is notable for producing powerful relativistic jets, streams of charged particles that shoot out from its poles at nearly the speed of light. These jets extend for thousands of light-years and play a critical role in shaping the surrounding galaxy. Understanding exactly where and how these jets originate has been a central goal of astrophysics for decades.
