Astronomers have observed a historic merger of two giant black holes. This event is a momentous turning point in the history of gravitational waves. That spectacle actually happened about 10 billion light years from Earth. This led to the formation of one supermassive black hole, which is rated to be as big as 265 suns. The merger had been picked up by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (Ligo), with detectors in Washington State and Louisiana, USA.
This photo of the signal from this remarkable event, taken just before 2 PM UK time on November 23, 2023. The incompatible or conflicting detectors triggered the incompatible or conflicting simultaneous disturbances. This indicates the merger of two black holes, with masses of 103 and 137 solar masses. These black holes were spinning so quickly, at a rate of about 400,000 times the speed of Earth. Their spin was approaching the theoretical limit for such massive astronomical objects.
This merger, involved, is truly amazing. This is a record previous set by a black hole with a mass of around 140 times that of the sun. The detection increases Ligo’s remarkable scorecard. It has since observed nearly 300 black hole mergers since it first started collecting data.
The black holes began orbiting each other eons ago before finally colliding, an event that exemplifies the most violent occurrences observable in the universe. As Professor Mark Hannam explained, speaking on behalf of the collaboration, these dramatic cosmic events produce the loudest signals. Yet by the time those signals reach Earth, they are dimmed beyond belief.
“These are the highest masses of black holes we’ve confidently measured with gravitational waves.” – Hannam
The characteristics of these black holes raise some interesting questions for astrophysicists. Other observations had hinted at similar phenomena. This event is easily the most extreme example we have of an occurrence where those conditions might exist.
“And they’re strange, because they are slap bang in the range of masses where, because of all kinds of weird things that happen, we don’t expect black holes to form.” – Hannam
The extraordinary sensitivity of Ligo’s detectors allows them to pick up the slightest fluctuations in space-time created by these cataclysmic occurrences. The vibrations we detect are trillions of times smaller than the width of a proton. This amazing accuracy demonstrates the cutting-edge technology behind gravitational wave astronomy today.
“We’ve seen hints of this before, but this is the most extreme example where that’s probably what’s happening.” – Hannam
The sensitivity of Ligo’s detectors enables them to detect minute fluctuations in space-time caused by these cataclysmic events. The disturbances measured are thousands of times smaller than a proton’s width, showcasing the remarkable technology behind gravitational wave astronomy.