GW241210_060606
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 48 solar masses, formed on 2024-12-10 when two black holes of roughly 29 and 21 solar masses spiralled together 8.5 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render47.9 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
141 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
8.5 billion ly
from Earth
29+21 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 29 (24–37) and 21 (16–27) solar masses. The remnant is 48 (42–57) 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 141 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 8.5 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW240630_101703Gravitational-wave source48.0 ☉GW231005_091549Gravitational-wave source48.0 ☉GW200322_091133Gravitational-wave source48.0 ☉GW170104Gravitational-wave source47.5 ☉GW250101_011205Gravitational-wave source48.7 ☉GW230919_215712Gravitational-wave source46.5 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.