Approximately 71% of Earth’s surface is covered in water, a critical component for life on our planet. Recognizing its importance, space organizations actively search for water on other celestial bodies within our solar system. Imagine, however, the existence of an ocean floating in space. Astronomers have identified the largest and most distant cosmic water reservoir ever discovered. Although this 12-billion-year-old discovery was initially made over a decade ago, it has recently garnered widespread attention.
This cosmic ocean was found after three years of diligent research by two teams of astronomers. The first team, led by Matt Bradford from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, began observations in 2008 using a 33-foot telescope in Hawaii. To corroborate their findings, they set up a network of radio dishes in Southern California. The second team, led by Dariusz Lis from Caltech, confirmed the results using the Plateau de Bure Interferometer in the French Alps.
The Universe’s Vast Ocean:
Research revealed that this colossal body of water contains 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined. Located nearly 12 billion light-years from Earth, this water surrounds a massive black hole known as a quasar. Quasars are extremely bright and active celestial objects. The water’s presence indicates that the gas surrounding the quasar is remarkably warm and dense by astronomical standards, as the quasar bathes the gas in X-rays and infrared radiation.
This discovery is pivotal as it shows that water was present in the universe’s early stages. Never before had water vapor been detected so far back in the universe’s history. While our Milky Way galaxy is also abundant with water, most of it exists in a frozen state. The quasar’s environment demonstrates how water can exist in various forms and conditions throughout the universe.
Ongoing Research and Future Implications:
Astronomers continue to explore this cosmic ocean to gain insights into the universe’s distant past. The water vapor around the quasar provides valuable data about the quasar’s characteristics and the gas region surrounding it. This finding underscores the importance of making observations in the evolving fields of millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, which are crucial for understanding such distant phenomena.
