GW230819_171910
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 102 solar masses, formed on 2023-08-19 when two black holes of roughly 70 and 35 solar masses spiralled together 13.4 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render102 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
301 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
13.4 billion ly
from Earth
70+35 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 70 (49–113) and 35 (16–55) solar masses. The remnant is 102 (80–139) 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 301 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 13.4 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230601_224134Gravitational-wave source102 ☉GW190403_051519Gravitational-wave source102 ☉GW240824_205609Gravitational-wave source103 ☉GW241125_010116Gravitational-wave source101 ☉GW240618_071627Gravitational-wave source101 ☉GW231029_111508Gravitational-wave source101 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.