GW230930_110730
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 56 solar masses, formed on 2023-09-30 when two black holes of roughly 34 and 24 solar masses spiralled together 16.0 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render56.3 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
166 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
16.0 billion ly
from Earth
35+24 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 35 (27–48) and 24 (17–33) solar masses. The remnant is 56 (47–71) 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 166 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 16.0 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230628_231200Gravitational-wave source56.4 ☉GW190630_185205Gravitational-wave source56.6 ☉GW241009_220455Gravitational-wave source56.0 ☉GW240420_175625Gravitational-wave source56.0 ☉GW170809Gravitational-wave source55.7 ☉GW230702_185453Gravitational-wave source57.0 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.