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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-first-gravitational-wave-detection

What produced LIGO's first direct gravitational-wave detection in 2015?

It came from a binary black hole merger.

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  1. A solar flare
  2. Two merging black holes ✔
  3. A planet crossing a star

Why: Both Advanced LIGO detectors recorded GW150914 on September 14, 2015. Its waveform matched the inspiral, merger, and ringdown of two stellar-mass black holes.

Huh, didn't know that: The initial black holes were about 36 and 29 solar masses.

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The black holes merged because they felt a strong attraction.
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References

Answer: Two merging black holes. Both Advanced LIGO detectors recorded GW150914 on September 14, 2015. Its waveform matched the inspiral, merger, and ringdown of two stellar-mass black holes.

  1. Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger dcc.ligo.org/P150914/public
    This is the first direct detection of gravitational waves and the first observation of a binary black hole merger.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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