GW231005_091549
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 48 solar masses, formed on 2023-10-05 when two black holes of roughly 29 and 21 solar masses spiralled together 12.4 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render48.0 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
142 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
12.4 billion ly
from Earth
29+21 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 29 (23–39) and 21 (15–28) solar masses. The remnant is 48 (40–59) 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 142 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 12.4 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW240630_101703Gravitational-wave source48.0 ☉GW200322_091133Gravitational-wave source48.0 ☉GW241210_060606Gravitational-wave source47.9 ☉GW170104Gravitational-wave source47.5 ☉GW250101_011205Gravitational-wave source48.7 ☉GW230924_124453Gravitational-wave source49.4 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.