An origin of the radio jet in M87 at the location of the central black hole

Radio jets from active galactic nuclei, such as the nearby galaxy M87, are thought to be powered by the accretion of material into a supermassive black hole. The relative position of this 'central engine' and the bright radio core that marks the base of the jet remain the subject of much speculation. New observations of M87 at six frequencies have been used to determine the position of the radio core to an accuracy of ∼ 20 microarcseconds. The data reveal that the central engine is located close to the radio core, within a distance of 14–23 Schwarzschild radii at 43 GHz.