GW231123_135430
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 222 solar masses, formed on 2023-11-23 when two black holes of roughly 137 and 101 solar masses spiralled together 7.2 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render222 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
656 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
7.2 billion ly
from Earth
137+101 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 137 (119–160) and 101 (51–123) solar masses. The remnant is 222 (180–250) 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 656 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 7.2 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW190426_190642Gravitational-wave source173 ☉GW190521Gravitational-wave source147 ☉GW231028_153006Gravitational-wave source144 ☉GW200220_061928Gravitational-wave source141 ☉GW230704_212616Gravitational-wave source132 ☉GW231005_021030Gravitational-wave source127 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.