GW200306_093714
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-3-confident
A black hole of about 42 solar masses, formed on 2020-03-06 when two black holes of roughly 28 and 15 solar masses spiralled together 6.8 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render41.7 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
123 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
6.8 billion ly
from Earth
28+15 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 28 (21–45) and 15 (8–21) solar masses. The remnant is 42 (35–54) 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 123 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 6.8 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230624_113103Gravitational-wave source41.7 ☉GW191215_223052Gravitational-wave source41.4 ☉GW190408_181802Gravitational-wave source41.4 ☉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.