GW191215_223052
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-3-confident
A black hole of about 41 solar masses, formed on 2019-12-15 when two black holes of roughly 25 and 18 solar masses spiralled together 6.3 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render41.4 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
122 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
6.3 billion ly
from Earth
25+18 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 25 (21–32) and 18 (14–22) solar masses. The remnant is 41 (37–47) 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 122 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 6.3 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW190408_181802Gravitational-wave source41.4 ☉GW230624_113103Gravitational-wave source41.7 ☉GW200306_093714Gravitational-wave source41.7 ☉GW240902_143306Gravitational-wave source40.8 ☉GW241006_015333Gravitational-wave source42.7 ☉GW241111_111552Gravitational-wave source43.2 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-3-confident), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.