GW231102_071736
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 98 solar masses, formed on 2023-11-02 when two black holes of roughly 61 and 42 solar masses spiralled together 12.4 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render98.0 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
289 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
12.4 billion ly
from Earth
61+42 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 61 (49–75) and 42 (29–55) solar masses. The remnant is 98 (85–117) 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 289 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 12.4 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230708_230935Gravitational-wave source99.0 ☉GW240519_012815Gravitational-wave source100 ☉GW190519_153544Gravitational-wave source100 ☉GW231004_232346Gravitational-wave source96.0 ☉GW241125_010116Gravitational-wave source101 ☉GW240618_071627Gravitational-wave source101 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.