GW240921_201835
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 44 solar masses, formed on 2024-09-21 when two black holes of roughly 35 and 10 solar masses spiralled together 3.0 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render43.7 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
129 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
3.0 billion ly
from Earth
35+10 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 35 (26–44) and 10 (8–13) solar masses. The remnant is 44 (37–51) 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 129 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 3.0 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230712_090405Gravitational-wave source44.0 ☉GW241111_111552Gravitational-wave source43.2 ☉GW241006_015333Gravitational-wave source42.7 ☉GW191204_110529Gravitational-wave source45.0 ☉GW240109_050431Gravitational-wave source45.2 ☉GW230624_113103Gravitational-wave source41.7 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.