GW240507_041632
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 39 solar masses, formed on 2024-05-07 when two black holes of roughly 31 and 8 solar masses spiralled together 4.7 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render38.9 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
115 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
4.7 billion ly
from Earth
31+9 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 31 (20–41) and 9 (7–15) solar masses. The remnant is 39 (32–47) 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 115 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 4.7 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW231108_125142Gravitational-wave source38.9 ☉GW240513_183302Gravitational-wave source39.4 ☉GW231231_154016Gravitational-wave source38.1 ☉GW151012Gravitational-wave source37.1 ☉GW240902_143306Gravitational-wave source40.8 ☉GW240920_073424Gravitational-wave source36.7 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.