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A colossal water reservoir has been discovered by astronomers in a remote corner of the universe, orbiting a quasar over 12 billion light-years away. This staggering distance means the light we observe today embarked on its journey shortly after the universe’s birth.
The magnitude of this distant water supply is immense, containing an estimated 140 trillion times the volume of all Earth’s oceans combined. This vast reservoir resides near a supermassive black hole, approximately 20 billion times more massive than our sun.
Enveloping this black hole is a quasar named APM 08279+5255, emitting energy equivalent to a thousand trillion suns. According to astronomers, this quasar harbours the most distant and substantial water reservoir ever identified within the universe.
Quasar APM 08279+5255 and its water
Matt Bradford, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, leads one of the teams studying the observations.
“The environment around this quasar is unique because it’s producing a vast amount of water,” Bradford explained. “It’s another indication that water is widespread throughout the universe, even in its earliest stages.”
Bradford’s team, along with a separate group of astronomers, investigated APM 08279+5255 and its central black hole, which pulls in surrounding matter.
As the black hole draws in material, it heats the surrounding gas and dust, creating a region filled with molecules never before detected at such an extreme distance.
Quasars were first discovered over 50 years ago when telescopes revealed mysterious sources of intense brightness in distant parts of space.
These objects are not ordinary stars. They shine brightly from the centres of distant galaxies, outshining all the stars within those galaxies.
At their core lie supermassive black holes, millions or even billions of times the mass of our sun. As gas and dust spiral toward these black holes, the material heats up and releases energy.
This energy radiates across all wavelengths, making quasars some of the brightest and most energetic phenomena ever observed.
Studying quasars allows astronomers to learn about the early universe, as the light we observe today has travelled billions of years to reach us.
Quasars provide insights into the formation of galaxies, the distribution of matter, and the development of the earliest cosmic structures.
They can even map the distribution of matter between galaxies, revealing regions that would otherwise remain hidden.
Some quasars also emit massive jets of high-speed particles that extend across vast distances. These jets can influence star formation, affecting entire regions of cosmic material.
A Surprising Discovery of Water
Astronomers discovered water vapour in the environment surrounding this particular quasar. The vapour spans a region hundreds of light-years across, with one light-year equaling roughly six trillion miles.
Although the gas is thin by Earth standards, it is unusually warm and dense compared to similar regions in our Milky Way.
With temperatures around minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit, the gas is about 300 trillion times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere. Despite this, it is five times hotter and up to hundreds of times denser than gas found in typical galaxies. These exceptional conditions make this region a unique find.
Why Does This Matter?
Water vapour is more than just a molecule; its presence indicates that the quasar is emitting radiation that keeps the surrounding gas relatively warm.
Astronomers also detected other molecules, such as carbon monoxide, suggesting an abundance of material that could feed the black hole as it continues to grow.
They estimate that there is enough gas for the black hole to increase its mass by roughly six times, though the outcome remains uncertain.
Some of this gas could form new stars, while other portions may be expelled into space. Regardless, these observations provide a glimpse into the conditions of the early universe.
Quasars, Water, and the Building Blocks of Life
The detection of water vapour in such a distant quasar expands our understanding of how life’s essential building blocks appear over vast expanses of time and space.
Water is vital for life as we know it, and its presence billions of years ago suggests that the elements necessary for life have been available for a long time.
Moreover, water plays a crucial role in shaping the evolution of stars and galaxies. When gas clouds cool, water facilitates their collapse, promoting the birth of stars.
Finding water this far back provides astronomers with new insights into how galaxies evolved as the universe matured.
