GW230605_065343
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 27 solar masses, formed on 2023-06-05 when two black holes of roughly 17 and 11 solar masses spiralled together 3.5 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render27.3 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
81 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
3.5 billion ly
from Earth
17+11 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 17 (14–24) and 11 (8–14) solar masses. The remnant is 27 (25–32) 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 81 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 3.5 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW200210_092254Gravitational-wave source26.7 ☉GW230706_104333Gravitational-wave source26.6 ☉GW230723_101834Gravitational-wave source26.4 ☉GW240622_004008Gravitational-wave source28.7 ☉GW190814Gravitational-wave source25.7 ☉GW231118_005626Gravitational-wave source29.4 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.