GW231014_040532
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 34 solar masses, formed on 2023-10-14 when two black holes of roughly 21 and 15 solar masses spiralled together 7.5 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render33.8 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
100 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
7.5 billion ly
from Earth
21+15 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 21 (17–29) and 15 (11–19) solar masses. The remnant is 34 (29–40) 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 100 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 7.5 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW191113_071753Gravitational-wave source34.0 ☉GW190512_180714Gravitational-wave source34.3 ☉GW240428_225440Gravitational-wave source33.0 ☉GW190828_065509Gravitational-wave source33.0 ☉GW190925_232845Gravitational-wave source34.9 ☉GW240531_040326Gravitational-wave source32.3 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.