Astronomers have discovered a colossal water reservoir orbiting a quasar over 12 billion light-years away. This distant water supply contains 140 trillion times the volume of all Earth's oceans and is near a supermassive black hole 20 billion times more massive than the sun. The quasar, named APM 08279+5255, emits energy equivalent to a thousand trillion suns and harbors the most distant and substantial water reservoir ever identified.
Matt Bradford from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory leads the team studying this quasar. Bradford notes that the environment around this quasar is unique, producing vast amounts of water, indicating that water is widespread even in the early universe.
Quasars, discovered over 50 years ago, shine brightly from the centers of distant galaxies due to supermassive black holes at their cores. These discoveries provide insights into the early universe, the formation of galaxies, and the distribution of matter.
The water vapor found near this quasar spans hundreds of light-years and is unusually warm and dense. The presence of water vapor suggests the quasar emits radiation that keeps the surrounding gas warm, and there is enough gas for the black hole to grow significantly. These findings expand our understanding of life's essential building blocks across time and space.
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