GW250118_023225
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 71 solar masses, formed on 2025-01-18 when two black holes of roughly 44 and 31 solar masses spiralled together 18.9 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render71.0 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
210 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
18.9 billion ly
from Earth
44+31 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 44 (34–59) and 31 (20–42) solar masses. The remnant is 71 (58–90) 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 210 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 18.9 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW231127_165300Gravitational-wave source71.0 ☉GW230709_122727Gravitational-wave source71.0 ☉GW200128_022011Gravitational-wave source71.0 ☉GW240104_164932Gravitational-wave source70.7 ☉GW190421_213856Gravitational-wave source70.5 ☉GW231226_101520Gravitational-wave source71.6 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.