GW250114

When two black holes collide, they release gravitational waves that allow scientists to determine their mass and spin. In January 2025, LIGO detected GW250114, the clearest signal yet of a black hole merger, providing new insights into these mysterious cosmic giants. Credit: Maggie Chiang for Simons Foundation

Hawking was right: New data confirms black holes never shrink

The sharpest and brightest gravitational signal ever measured, GW250114, allows the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration to test Hawking's surface theorem and Einstein's prediction with unprecedented precision. Black holes "ring" after