Radio maps of 3C273 obtained with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) have been limited by low dynamic range and poor north-south resolution resulting from the low declination (2^°) of this quasar¹. Dramatic improvement can now be achieved using larger arrays and antennas in the Southern Hemisphere^2,3. A new VLBI map, made at 5 GHz with angular resolution and dynamic range unsurpassed at this frequency for this source, shows a narrow jet extending to a projected distance l_proj∼125 h^-;1 parsecs from the core. Superluminal motion exists out to at least lproj≈46h^-1 parsecs. Successive superluminal components emerge from the core and appear to move on a fixed curved path with similar speeds of about 1 milliarcseconds per year. © 1988 Nature Publishing Group.