4 days ago
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.
