Massive ocean circling a quasar found in deep space

The quasar, named APM 08279 5255, contains water vapour equating to 140 trillion times the volume of Earth’s oceans

Hyderabad: Astronomers have uncovered a colossal water reservoir circling a quasar over 12 billion light-years away, a discovery that sheds light on the universe’s distant past. This quasar, named APM 08279 5255, surrounds a supermassive black hole that’s 20 billion times more massive than our Sun and emits energy equivalent to a thousand trillion suns. This extraordinary system contains water vapour equating to 140 trillion times the volume of Earth’s oceans, making it the largest and farthest known water source in the universe.

The quasar’s environment is unique, emitting hydrogen-rich gases like water vapour and carbon monoxide, and creating a region hundreds of light-years wide. Despite the gas being sparse by Earth’s standards, it is surprisingly warm and dense compared to typical galactic conditions. This suggests intense radiation from the quasar keeps the surrounding gas active and primed for star formation or feeding the black hole, potentially increasing its mass sixfold.

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The discovery highlights water’s critical role in star and galaxy evolution, as it aids in cooling gas clouds, enabling star formation. The water’s presence billions of years ago also suggests life’s essential ingredients existed early in the universe’s history.

Using advanced instruments like Z-Spec at Hawaii’s Caltech Submillimetre Observatory and the Plateau de Bure Interferometre in France, scientists confirmed the existence of this water-rich environment. This groundbreaking find offers insights into the universe’s formative stages, revealing how galaxies, black holes, and cosmic structures emerged and evolved over billions of years.