GW240505_133552
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 52 solar masses, formed on 2024-05-05 when two black holes of roughly 31 and 23 solar masses spiralled together 15.3 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render51.8 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
153 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
15.3 billion ly
from Earth
31+23 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 31 (25–40) and 23 (16–30) solar masses. The remnant is 52 (45–63) 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 153 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 15.3 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW241130_034908Gravitational-wave source51.6 ☉GW190513_205428Gravitational-wave source52.1 ☉GW230805_034249Gravitational-wave source52.4 ☉GW230704_021211Gravitational-wave source50.7 ☉GW250116_015318Gravitational-wave source53.0 ☉GW231026_130704Gravitational-wave source53.0 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.