I saw a Star Trek Episode once where they visited an ocean in space. Seemed like pure fantasy, but not really as one has been found and it is huge.
Astronomers have made a breathtaking discovery: the largest and most distant reservoir of water ever found in the universe, believed to be approximately 12 billion years old. This monumental find, though initially uncovered over a decade ago, has recently surged in public interest due to its sheer magnitude and the implications it holds for our understanding of the cosmos.
Ocean In Space? This 140 Trillion Times Larger Than Earth’s Oceans Goes Viral, Here’s Why
https://t.co/JbPcykTMKX— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) July 9, 2024
The discovery was made possible by the efforts of two dedicated teams of astronomers. The first team, led by Matt Bradford, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, began their exploratory mission in 2008. Using a 33-foot telescope positioned near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, they conducted initial observations that were pivotal in identifying this cosmic phenomenon. They later expanded their observations with an array of radio dishes located in the Inyo Mountains of Southern California.
A second group of researchers, led by Dariusz Lis from Caltech and serving as the deputy director of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, confirmed these findings with the aid of the Plateau de Bure Interferometer in the French Alps.
An Ocean in Space? Here’s Why This Stunning Find is Viral Again
Read full article👇https://t.co/3yZpMcqO4T
— Attention India (@attentionindia1) July 9, 2024
This vast cosmic water reservoir surrounds a quasar—a massive celestial object that emits incredible amounts of energy—and contains water equivalent to 140 trillion times that of all Earth’s oceans combined. Situated over 12 billion light-years away, this discovery sheds light on the environmental conditions around quasars and suggests that water has been prevalent throughout the universe from its earliest epochs, a revelation that redefines previous understandings of water distribution in space.
The area around the quasar is bathed in X-rays and infrared radiation, creating conditions that make the water unusually warm and dense compared to the interstellar medium typically found in galaxies like the Milky Way. Despite the extreme conditions of space, with temperatures around minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit and a density 300 trillion times less than Earth’s atmosphere, the water vapor around this quasar is five times hotter and significantly denser than typical galactic environments.
Scientists Discover Largest Water Body Ever in Space
The reservoir is equivalent to 140 trillion times all the water in our planet’s oceans. It exists more than 12 billion light-years away and flanks an enormous, feeding black hole known as a quasar. https://t.co/pxZ3uCFcQ2 pic.twitter.com/4Xv4fSgDou
— Water Mark 🚰 (@OtayMark) July 8, 2024
This discovery not only shows the persistence of water throughout the universe’s history but also opens new avenues for understanding the early universe. Astronomers are optimistic that this finding will lead to further insights as they continue to study this quasar and its remarkable surroundings.
Key Points:
- Astronomers have detected the largest and most distant water reservoir in the universe, approximately 12 billion years old.
- The discovery was made by two teams, with initial observations using a telescope on Mauna Kea and further confirmation via the Plateau de Bure Interferometer in France.
- The reservoir contains water equivalent to 140 trillion Earth oceans and surrounds a quasar, a massive energy-emitting celestial object.
- The presence of water suggests it has been a common element in the universe since its earliest periods, challenging previous notions about water in space.
- This groundbreaking find provides new insights into the environmental conditions of early cosmic phenomena and may lead to further discoveries about the universe’s formative years.
Susan Guglielmo – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
