GW231114_043211
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 30 solar masses, formed on 2023-11-14 when two black holes of roughly 23 and 8 solar masses spiralled together 4.5 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render30.1 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
89 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
4.5 billion ly
from Earth
23+8 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 23 (17–32) and 8 (6–11) solar masses. The remnant is 30 (25–38) 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 89 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 4.5 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW190708_232457Gravitational-wave source30.1 ☉GW231110_040320Gravitational-wave source30.6 ☉GW231118_005626Gravitational-wave source29.4 ☉GW240622_004008Gravitational-wave source28.7 ☉GW241113_163507Gravitational-wave source31.7 ☉GW200225_060421Gravitational-wave source32.1 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.