GW231118_071402
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 69 solar masses, formed on 2023-11-18 when two black holes of roughly 43 and 29 solar masses spiralled together 14.0 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render69.0 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
204 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
14.0 billion ly
from Earth
43+29 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 43 (33–58) and 29 (19–40) solar masses. The remnant is 69 (56–86) 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 204 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 14.0 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW231008_142521Gravitational-wave source69.0 ☉GW230831_015414Gravitational-wave source69.0 ☉GW240511_031507Gravitational-wave source69.1 ☉GW241114_024711Gravitational-wave source68.9 ☉GW200224_222234Gravitational-wave source68.7 ☉GW241109_033317Gravitational-wave source70.0 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.