Today, we're embarking on a thrilling journey, light-years away from Earth,
towards the universe's largest known reservoir of water.
But before we plunge into this cosmic pool, let's talk about quasars. Quasars,
or 'quasi-stellar objects', are the brightest and most distant objects in the known universe.
They're powered by supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies, voraciously consuming
matter and shooting out tremendous energy. One such quasar, called APM 08279+5255,
holds our object of interest. And its name sounds like a particularly challenging WiFi
password, doesn't it? But, unlike your WiFi,
this reservoir is never going to run out of data...or in this case, water!
This quasar is not exactly in our neighborhood, but rather a
staggering 12 billion light-years away. This distance means that we're seeing this
quasar as it was when the universe was just a toddler. We're literally looking back in time!
Our journey to this quasar is a journey through space and time, right to the very
edges of the observable universe. So, buckle up as we make this leap across the cosmos!
And here we are! Surrounding the quasar, dispersed within hundreds of light-years, we
find a humongous cloud of gaseous water vapor. But when we say 'humongous', what do we really mean?
Picture all of the Earth's oceans combined. Multiply it by a hundred,
a thousand, a million...keep going until you reach 100 trillion.
Yes, this reservoir holds 100 trillion times the mass of water in Earth's oceans.
I know it's hard to grasp - just imagine this: every human on Earth could own their own ocean,
and we'd still have trillions of oceans to spare! The discovery of this reservoir is significant
in many ways. It challenges our perspectives about the early universe,
as it shows us how common water - a fundamental ingredient for life as we know it - can be,
even in the most extreme environments. Though we're talking about water,
don't expect to fill up your water bottles here. This isn't liquid water, but rather water
vapor dispersed across the universe. Plus, the incredibly harsh and energetic
environment of a quasar would make any visit rather... crispy.
You might wonder, 'How on Earth, or rather, how OFF Earth, did scientists discover this colossal
water reservoir, billions of light-years away?' Scientists didn't stumble upon this massive water
reservoir by mere chance. It involved a combination of cutting-edge technology,
extensive research, and sheer cosmic luck. Quasars, like APM 082... you know where I'm
getting, emit light that is so bright and powerful, it can be seen from Earth despite
being billions of light-years away. But finding water in these celestial
lighthouses is a whole other challenge. Water molecules in space interact with the
light that passes through them. As these molecules rotate and vibrate, they absorb
light at characteristic frequencies, leaving distinct signatures in the light that reaches us.
In the case of the water reservoir around our quasar buddy, astronomers used a collection of
ground-based and space telescopes, including the Plateau de Bure Interferometer in the French Alps,
which observed the microwaves emitted by the water vapor.
By observing this light, astronomers could identify these 'watermarks'. They could then
calculate the quantity of water based on the strength and distribution of these signatures.
And that's how they discovered this mind-boggling reservoir of water vapor, containing 100 trillion
times the amount of water in Earth's oceans! It's like finding a water park in the middle
of a desert—it defies our expectations and sends scientists back to the drawing board.
But where exactly in the universe is our destination? After all,
'in the vicinity of a quasar' isn't something you can plug into a cosmic GPS.
This water reservoir is positioned in the constellation Lynx.
If you're an avid stargazer, you'd know that Lynx is a relatively faint
constellation in the Northern Hemisphere. But knowing the constellation is just the
first step. This quasar isn't just down the cosmic block—as we mentioned earlier,
it's 12 billion light-years away from us. To give you some context, one light-year is
about 5.9 trillion miles. So we're talking about a truly mind-boggling distance!
That's not all. This quasar isn't just a point in space. It's the extremely energetic center of a
galaxy, powered by a supermassive black hole. The water we're talking about isn't gathered
into a cosmic ocean but forms a massive cloud of gaseous water vapor spread out
in the region surrounding the black hole. So while we can't exactly pinpoint a street
address for this massive water reservoir, we know it's surrounding this quasar, spread over hundreds
of light-years, in a galaxy far, far away. Isn't it humbling? Here on Earth, we consider
the Pacific Ocean vast. But in the grand scheme of the cosmos, it's barely a droplet.
The universe is filled with wonders that boggle the mind and challenge our sense
of scale. And that's why we keep exploring! So, the next time you drink a glass of water,
remember that you're sipping on a substance that exists in staggering quantities across
the universe, in places and forms we're only beginning to understand.
Now, speaking of water, here's our trivia question for today: What is the largest
lake on Earth? The first comment to answer this gets a shout-out in our channel's community post.