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VLA imaging of the most extended structure in M 87 at 20 and 90 cm reveals a complex structure extending to about 40 kpc in radius. The images suggest a complicated, turbulent, transonic flow beginning at the boundary with the inner lobes and ending at the boundary of the bubble-like structure which is seen on the largest scales of the radio emission. The scale is interestingly similar to the “cooling core” of the X-ray source.

The radio imaging of M 87, combined with supporting data from other wavelength bands, suggest that the inner 2 kpc of M 87 are a region of transonic turbulence, dynamically important magnetic fields, and synchrotron emitting emitting filaments in a 107 K thermal plasma. The energy source for this activity is likely to be the black-hole driven jet which can be seen bending and mixing with the other radio emission from the region.