A significant collision of two black holes was recently detected, resulting in a black hole with a mass of 225 solar masses, the largest ever observed. Previously, the most massive black hole merger formed one of about 140 solar masses. This discovery challenges existing models of stellar evolution, suggesting that such enormous black holes should not exist according to standard theories. The gravitational waves produced by the merger were first detected in November 2023, providing critical insights into the properties of the original black holes involved in the event.
Black holes this massive are forbidden through standard stellar evolution models. This is the most massive black hole binary we've observed through gravitational waves, and it presents a real challenge to our understanding of black hole formation.
The merger was first spotted in November 2023 in a gravitational wave, GW231123, that lasted just a fraction of a second. Even so, it was enough to infer the properties of the original black holes.
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