GW230927_153832
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 36 solar masses, formed on 2023-09-27 when two black holes of roughly 22 and 17 solar masses spiralled together 3.9 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render36.5 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
108 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
3.9 billion ly
from Earth
22+17 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 22 (19–26) and 17 (14–19) solar masses. The remnant is 37 (34–40) 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 108 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 3.9 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW240527_230910Gravitational-wave source36.4 ☉GW240920_073424Gravitational-wave source36.7 ☉GW151012Gravitational-wave source37.1 ☉GW190412Gravitational-wave source35.6 ☉GW240930_035959Gravitational-wave source35.5 ☉GW231231_154016Gravitational-wave source38.1 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.