GW240716_034900
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 64 solar masses, formed on 2024-07-16 when two black holes of roughly 40 and 26 solar masses spiralled together 6.1 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render63.9 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
189 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
6.1 billion ly
from Earth
40+27 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 40 (32–49) and 27 (20–33) solar masses. The remnant is 64 (56–72) 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 189 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 6.1 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW170823Gravitational-wave source63.9 ☉GW200220_124850Gravitational-wave source64.0 ☉GW241002_030559Gravitational-wave source64.2 ☉GW250118_170523Gravitational-wave source64.4 ☉GW240919_061559Gravitational-wave source64.7 ☉GW240501_033534Gravitational-wave source63.1 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.