![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/M87_jet.jpg/300px-M87_jet.jpg)
M87 is an elliptical galaxy about 50 million light years away in the constellation of Virgo, and like most if not all galaxies it contains a super-massive black hole at its centre. The black hole powers an enormous polar jet of electrons and ions moving at almost the speed of light.