GW230803_033412
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 70 solar masses, formed on 2023-08-03 when two black holes of roughly 44 and 29 solar masses spiralled together 16.3 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render70.0 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
207 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
16.3 billion ly
from Earth
44+29 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 44 (32–63) and 29 (19–41) solar masses. The remnant is 70 (55–91) 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 207 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 16.3 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW241109_033317Gravitational-wave source70.0 ☉GW240621_200935Gravitational-wave source70.0 ☉GW190421_213856Gravitational-wave source70.5 ☉GW240104_164932Gravitational-wave source70.7 ☉GW240511_031507Gravitational-wave source69.1 ☉GW250118_023225Gravitational-wave source71.0 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.