GW190828_063405
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-2.1-confident
A black hole of about 54 solar masses, formed on 2019-08-28 when two black holes of roughly 32 and 26 solar masses spiralled together 6.8 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render54.3 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
160 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
6.8 billion ly
from Earth
32+26 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 32 (28–37) and 26 (21–31) solar masses. The remnant is 54 (50–62) solar masses. Values in parentheses are the 90% credible ranges from LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA (GWTC).
Its event horizon, the edge past which nothing returns, spans about 160 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 6.8 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW190719_215514Gravitational-wave source54.5 ☉GW190915_235702Gravitational-wave source54.7 ☉GW230920_071124Gravitational-wave source53.8 ☉GW230811_032116Gravitational-wave source55.3 ☉GW240515_005301Gravitational-wave source53.2 ☉GW170814Gravitational-wave source53.2 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-2.1-confident), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.