GW240615_160735
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 46 solar masses, formed on 2024-06-15 when two black holes of roughly 28 and 20 solar masses spiralled together 13.0 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render45.9 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
136 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
13.0 billion ly
from Earth
29+20 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 29 (23–36) and 20 (14–26) solar masses. The remnant is 46 (40–54) 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 136 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 13.0 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230919_215712Gravitational-wave source46.5 ☉GW240109_050431Gravitational-wave source45.2 ☉GW191204_110529Gravitational-wave source45.0 ☉GW170104Gravitational-wave source47.5 ☉GW230712_090405Gravitational-wave source44.0 ☉GW241210_060606Gravitational-wave source47.9 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.