GW230914_111401
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 91 solar masses, formed on 2023-09-14 when two black holes of roughly 60 and 37 solar masses spiralled together 8.8 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render91.2 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
269 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
8.8 billion ly
from Earth
60+37 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 60 (49–72) and 37 (25–50) solar masses. The remnant is 91 (81–105) 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 269 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 8.8 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW230820_212515Gravitational-wave source92.0 ☉GW190929_012149Gravitational-wave source90.3 ☉GW190701_203306Gravitational-wave source90.2 ☉GW241225_082815Gravitational-wave source94.0 ☉GW240612_081540Gravitational-wave source88.0 ☉GW200308_173609Gravitational-wave source88.0 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.