Hc. Ford et al., NARROW-BAND HST IMAGES OF M87 - EVIDENCE FOR A DISK OF IONIZED-GAS AROUND A MASSIVE BLACK-HOLE, The Astrophysical journal, 435(1), 1994, pp. 120000027
We present HST WFPC2 narrowband Halpha + [N II] images of M87 which sh
ow a small disk of ionized gas with apparent spiral structure surround
ing the nucleus of M87. The jet projects approximately 19.-degrees-5 f
rom the minor axis of the disk, which suggests that the jet is approxi
mately normal to the disk. In a companion Letter, Harms et al. measure
radial velocities at r = +/-0''.25 along a line perpendicular to the
jet, showing that one side of the disk is approaching at 500 +/- 50 km
s-1 and the other side of the disk is receding at 500 +/- 50 km s-1.
Absorption associated with the disk and the sense of rotation imply th
at the apparent spiral arms trail the rotation. The observed radial ve
locities corrected for a 42-degrees inclination of the disk imply rota
tion at +/- 750 km s-1. Analysis of velocity measurements at four posi
tions near the nucleus gives a total mass of approximately 2.4 +/- 0.7
x 10(9) M(.) within 18 pc of the nucleus, and a mass-to-light ratio (
M/L)I = 170. We conclude that there is a disk of ionized gas feeding a
massive black hole in the center of M87.