GW240824_205609
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 103 solar masses, formed on 2024-08-24 when two black holes of roughly 70 and 37 solar masses spiralled together 17.3 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render103 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
304 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
17.3 billion ly
from Earth
70+37 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 70 (46–102) and 37 (20–57) solar masses. The remnant is 103 (77–139) 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 304 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 17.3 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW190403_051519Gravitational-wave source102 ☉GW230819_171910Gravitational-wave source102 ☉GW230601_224134Gravitational-wave source102 ☉GW241125_010116Gravitational-wave source101 ☉GW240618_071627Gravitational-wave source101 ☉GW231029_111508Gravitational-wave source101 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.