GW231129_081745
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 66 solar masses, formed on 2023-11-29 when two black holes of roughly 45 and 24 solar masses spiralled together 12.4 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render66.0 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
195 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
12.4 billion ly
from Earth
45+24 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 45 (32–60) and 24 (16–34) solar masses. The remnant is 66 (52–83) 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 195 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 12.4 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW250109_074552Gravitational-wave source65.9 ☉GW190514_065416Gravitational-wave source66.4 ☉GW240920_124024Gravitational-wave source65.6 ☉GW190503_185404Gravitational-wave source66.5 ☉GW230922_020344Gravitational-wave source65.4 ☉GW190727_060333Gravitational-wave source65.4 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.