GW231118_005626
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-4.1
A black hole of about 29 solar masses, formed on 2023-11-18 when two black holes of roughly 20 and 11 solar masses spiralled together 7.1 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render29.4 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
87 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
7.1 billion ly
from Earth
20+11 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 20 (15–28) and 11 (8–14) solar masses. The remnant is 29 (26–35) 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 87 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 7.1 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW231114_043211Gravitational-wave source30.1 ☉GW190708_232457Gravitational-wave source30.1 ☉GW240622_004008Gravitational-wave source28.7 ☉GW231110_040320Gravitational-wave source30.6 ☉GW230605_065343Gravitational-wave source27.3 ☉GW241113_163507Gravitational-wave source31.7 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-4.1), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.