GW240525_031210
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 50 solar masses, formed on 2024-05-25 when two black holes of roughly 31 and 21 solar masses spiralled together 14.7 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render50.2 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
148 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
14.7 billion ly
from Earth
31+21 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 31 (24–43) and 21 (15–29) solar masses. The remnant is 50 (41–62) 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 148 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 14.7 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW241129_021832Gravitational-wave source50.6 ☉GW230704_021211Gravitational-wave source50.7 ☉GW230924_124453Gravitational-wave source49.4 ☉GW230708_053705Gravitational-wave source49.4 ☉GW241130_034908Gravitational-wave source51.6 ☉GW250101_011205Gravitational-wave source48.7 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.