GW230911_195324
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 53 solar masses, formed on 2023-09-11 when two black holes of roughly 34 and 22 solar masses spiralled together 4.4 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render53.1 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
157 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
4.4 billion ly
from Earth
34+22 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 34 (27–42) and 22 (16–27) solar masses. The remnant is 53 (46–61) 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 157 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 4.4 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW240531_075248Gravitational-wave source53.1 ☉GW240515_005301Gravitational-wave source53.2 ☉GW170814Gravitational-wave source53.2 ☉GW250116_015318Gravitational-wave source53.0 ☉GW231026_130704Gravitational-wave source53.0 ☉GW230920_071124Gravitational-wave source53.8 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.