Sean T. Linden

At a distance of 8.58 megaparsecs, the spiral galaxy M51 spins its arms, while the VLA radio telescope in its most extended configuration observes it with a resolution of 0.16×0.14 arcseconds. That is like spotting a coin on the surface of the Moon from Earth.

At the center of galaxy VV 340a lies a supermassive black hole — an object with gravity so strong that even light cannot escape it. It emits a relativistic jet: a narrow stream of matter accelerated to near-light speeds.