GW 190412 was agravitational wave (GW) signal observed by theLIGO andVirgo detectors on 12 April 2019.[1][2] In April 2020, it was announced as the first time a collision of a pair of very differently sizedblack holes has been detected.[3] As a result of this asymmetry, the signal included two measurableharmonics with frequencies approximately a factor 1.5 (aperfect fifth) apart.[2][4]
The collision took place 2.4 billionlight-years away.[3] The heavier of the black holes had a mass of 29.7 solar masses, and the lighter one around 8.4 solar masses.[3] The difference in mass meant that the secondaryharmonic in the signal was strong enough to be detected, allowing researchers to perform a test ofgeneral relativity and determine that the larger black hole was spinning.[3]
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