Scientists measure largest ever collision of two black holes
Scientists detect record-sized merger of black holes
- Scientists have detected the largest black hole merger ever recorded by gravitational wave observatories, occurring approximately 10 billion light years from Earth.
- The collision involved two black holes, each over 100 times the mass of the sun, resulting in a new black hole up to 265 times more massive than the sun.
- The event, designated GW231123, was detected by the Ligo Hanford and Livingston Observatories in the US on November 23, 2023.
- Researchers noted the black holes were spinning extremely rapidly, near the limit allowed by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, posing a challenge to current scientific models.
- This significant discovery pushes the boundaries of gravitational-wave astronomy and will be presented at the GR-Amaldi meeting in Glasgow in July.