Astronomers from the California Technological Institute (Caltech) have made a groundbreaking discovery, uncovering the largest pond ever found in the universe. Situated an astonishing 30 billion trillion miles away from Earth, this extraordinary body of water was found within a Quasar, one of the most impressive and highly active objects in space. The sheer magnitude of the water vapor within this pond surpasses 140 trillion times the total volume of water in Earth’s oceans.
The light emitted from the Quasar had traveled for a remarkable 12 billion years before reaching Earth. This corresponds to a time when the universe was merely 1.6 billion years old. Matt Bradford, a scientist from NASA’s reactive laboratory, commented on the unique nature of the Quasar’s surroundings, specifically referencing the immense amount of water present as further evidence of water’s prevalence in the universe.
Quasars feed on enormous black holes, absorbing the surrounding gas and dust while producing an immense amount of energy. The water observed within this particular Quasar is distributed around a black hole positioned hundreds of light-years away, indicating an unusually warm and dense gas environment.
This discovery highlights the value of observations conducted within the millimeter and submillimeter ranges. As the field of astronomy continues to rapidly advance, scientists are currently developing the CCat, a 25-meter telescope to be located in Chile. The CCAT will enable astronomers to explore some of the earliest galaxies in the universe, facilitating a deeper understanding of our cosmic origins.
For more information on the research conducted by both teams, please visit here and here.