GW191219_163120
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-3-confident
A black hole of about 32 solar masses, formed on 2019-12-19 when a black hole and a neutron star of roughly 31 and 1 solar masses spiralled together 1.8 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render32.2 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
95 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
1.8 billion ly
from Earth
31+1 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 31 (28–33) and 1 (1–1) solar masses. The remnant is 32 (30–34) 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 95 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 1.8 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW240531_040326Gravitational-wave source32.3 ☉GW200225_060421Gravitational-wave source32.1 ☉GW241113_163507Gravitational-wave source31.7 ☉GW240428_225440Gravitational-wave source33.0 ☉GW190828_065509Gravitational-wave source33.0 ☉GW231014_040532Gravitational-wave source33.8 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-3-confident), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.