GW240618_071627
Gravitational-wave source · GWTC-5.0
A black hole of about 101 solar masses, formed on 2024-06-18 when two black holes of roughly 65 and 40 solar masses spiralled together 17.9 billion light-years away. LIGO and Virgo felt the collision as ripples in spacetime.
Computed render101 ☉
mass (the Sun = 1)
298 km
event-horizon radius (computed)
17.9 billion ly
from Earth
65+40 ☉
the two that merged
The two black holes that merged were about 65 (46–89) and 40 (25–57) solar masses. The remnant is 101 (78–129) 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 298 km in radius. The waves we detected had been travelling for 17.9 billion years before they reached us.
Black holes of similar mass
GW241125_010116Gravitational-wave source101 ☉GW231029_111508Gravitational-wave source101 ☉GW230819_171910Gravitational-wave source102 ☉GW230601_224134Gravitational-wave source102 ☉GW240519_012815Gravitational-wave source100 ☉GW190519_153544Gravitational-wave source100 ☉
Source: Gravitational-Wave Open Science Center (GWTC-5.0), LIGO Virgo KAGRA. CC BY 4.0. See data & analysis for full sourcing.