A quasar is a galaxy’s core powered by a giant black hole. The most distant one, APM 08279+5255, is 12 billion light years away. It has a massive black hole 20 billion times the mass of our Sun and holds the largest known reservoir of water in the universe.
The discovery, led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reveals the quasar contains 140 trillion times the water on Earth’s oceans. This finding provides insights into the formation of life and galaxies. The data collection began in 2008 using a Z-Spec telescope near Hawaii’s Mount Kilauea, which is currently erupting.
Two research teams combined their efforts, one in Hawaii and another in the French Alps, to study the quasar. Their findings have significant implications for understanding black hole growth, galaxy formation, and the origins of life. Water vapor plays a crucial role in cloud formation, enabling star birth. This discovery highlights water’s importance not just for human existence but also for the creation of stars and galaxies.
Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-distant-quasar-has-140-trillion-times-the-water-of-earths-oceans