GW240920_124024
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 66 solar masses, formed on 2024-09-20 when two black holes of roughly 37 and 32 solar masses spiralled together 3.6 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render65.6 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
194 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
3.6 billion ly
from Earth
37+32 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 37 (34–41) and 32 (28–35) solar masses. The remnant is 66 (63–69) 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 194 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 3.6 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230922_020344Gravitational-wave source65.4 ☉GW190727_060333Gravitational-wave source65.4 ☉GW250109_074552Gravitational-wave source65.9 ☉GW231129_081745Gravitational-wave source66.0 ☉GW240908_082628Gravitational-wave source65.0 ☉GW190916_200658Gravitational-wave source65.0 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.