GW250109_074552
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 66 solar masses, formed on 2025-01-09 when two black holes of roughly 39 and 30 solar masses spiralled together 7.5 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render65.9 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
195 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
7.5 billion ly
from Earth
39+30 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 39 (33–47) and 30 (23–37) solar masses. The remnant is 66 (58–76) 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 195 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 7.5 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW231129_081745Gravitational-wave source66.0 ☉GW240920_124024Gravitational-wave source65.6 ☉GW190514_065416Gravitational-wave source66.4 ☉GW230922_020344Gravitational-wave source65.4 ☉GW190727_060333Gravitational-wave source65.4 ☉GW190503_185404Gravitational-wave source66.5 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.