Astronomers have discovered the largest reservoir in the universe, equivalent to 140 trillion times the amount of water in Earth's oceans

Tech 2023-05-15 11:44:13 Source: Network

Astronomers have discovered a huge reservoir near a distant supermassive black hole, with a water content equivalent to 140 trillion times that of Earth's oceans. It is the largest known water storage in the universe and 4000 times that of the Milky Way

Astronomers have discovered a huge reservoir near a distant supermassive black hole, with a water content equivalent to 140 trillion times that of Earth's oceans. It is the largest known water storage in the universe and 4000 times that of the Milky Way. This reservoir was discovered by two teams of astronomers at a distance of 12 billion light years from Earth, presenting as water vapor dispersed within a range of hundreds of light years. The reservoir is located in the gas region of a quasar, a bright and compact region at the core of a galaxy driven by black holes. This discovery suggests that even in the early stages of the universe, water may still exist throughout the entire universe. Although this is not surprising to experts, it is the farthest water discovered so far.

It took 12 billion years for the light from quasar (specifically, APM08279+5255 quasar in Orion) to reach the Earth, which means that this reservoir existed only 1.6 billion years ago in the universe. One team used the Z-Spec. instrument located on the submillimeter wave telescope at the California Institute of Technology in Hawaii, while the other team used the Bree Plateau interferometer located on the Alps plateau in France. These sensors can detect millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, enabling the detection of trace gases (or huge water vapor reserves) in the early universe. Many water molecular spectral lines have been found in quasar, providing researchers with the data needed to calculate the huge scale of the reserve.

How did astronomers discover this huge reservoir? They utilized an effect called "gravitational lensing". Gravitational lensing refers to the process of bending the light emitted by a strong gravitational source (such as a black hole or galaxy cluster) between the observer and a distant target, and amplifying its brightness and size. In this example, the observer is an astronomer on Earth who observes using Z-Spec or Bure Plateau interferometers. Gravity lenses can amplify the brightness and size of targets hundreds of times, allowing astronomers to observe weaker and more detailed signals.

Water is not uncommon in the universe, in fact, it is one of the most common molecules. Water molecules can form or exist on various celestial bodies such as interstellar dust, comets, planets, and satellites. Water is also considered an important component of life, so finding water in outer space is of great significance for exploring the origin and evolution of life.

So, how was this huge reservoir formed? The researchers believe that the reservoir may be formed by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the rotating gas disk around the quasar. These atoms may come from the high-energy radiation generated when quasar devour the surrounding materials or from the materials released during star formation. When the gas disk is cold enough, water molecules will condense onto dust particles to form ice crystals, which over time accumulate into giant comets or asteroids. These icy celestial bodies may collide with newly formed planets and bring water to their surfaces.

This process may be related to the formation of the Shanghai Ocean on our planet. Earth was born 4.5 billion years ago, when the solar system was still a chaotic environment filled with debris and collisions. When the Earth first formed, it could be very dry because the high temperature caused any water to evaporate. But as the Earth gradually cools down, some asteroids or comets with water molecules or ice crystals may have collided with the Earth and brought a large amount of water needed for the ocean.

Of course, not all planets can have oceans. Being too close or too far from a star can affect the stability of water molecules on the planet's surface or atmosphere. For example, on Venus, due to high temperature and low pressure, any liquid or solid water will quickly become steam and escape into space; On Mars, due to low temperature and pressure, any liquid water will quickly become solid or vapor, and be blown away or deposited in the polar regions by the wind.

Therefore, when searching for planets with potential life in outer space, astronomers usually pay attention to the so-called "habitable zone", which is the appropriate distance from stars, so that water molecules can exist in liquid, solid, or gaseous forms on the planet's surface or atmosphere. If the distance is too close, the water will evaporate; If the distance is too far, water will freeze into ice. The range of habitable zones depends on the mass and brightness of stars, and different types of stars have different habitable zones.

For example, for G type stars similar to the sun, the habitable zone is about 0.9 to 1.5 astronomical unit (the distance from the earth to the sun). The Earth is precisely located within this range, thus possessing a rich and diverse range of life forms. For smaller and dimmer M-type stars, the habitable zone is closer to the star, about 0.1 to 0.4 astronomical unit. This means that planets orbiting M-type stars need to orbit faster to stay warm and moist. For example, in the TRAPPIST-1 system, there are three planets located within the habitable zone, which can orbit the star once in just 6.1 days, 9.2 days, and 12.4 days, respectively.

However, not all planets located within the habitable zone are necessarily suitable for the existence of life. There are many other factors that can affect whether a planet is truly "habitable", such as whether it has a stable and thick atmosphere to protect its surface from cosmic rays and meteor impacts; Does it have a strong and persistent magnetic field to prevent its atmosphere from being blown away by stellar winds; Does it have a reasonable and balanced chemical composition to support complex and diverse life forms. Therefore, simply being within the habitable zone does not guarantee that a planet is truly "habitable," and multiple other factors need to be considered.

So, how do we find and explore these planets that may have life? At present, astronomers mainly use two methods to discover and study exoplanets: transit method and radial velocity method. The transit method refers to when a planet passes in front of a star, it blocks a portion of the star's light, resulting in a slight decrease in the star's brightness. By measuring this brightness change, we can infer the size, orbital period and distance of the planet. The radial velocity method refers to the weak gravitational force exerted by a planet when it orbits a star, causing the star to move slightly along its orbital direction in our view. By measuring the spectral changes caused by this movement, we can infer the mass, orbital period and distance of the planet.

Both methods have their own advantages and limitations. The transit method is easier to find those planets that are close to stars, larger and have high reflectivity, while the radial velocity method is easier to find those planets that are close to stars, have large mass and strong gravity. Therefore, combining these two methods can obtain more comprehensive and accurate results. In addition, there are other methods under development, such as direct imaging method, gravitational microlensing method and astrometry method.

However, not all exoplanets can be detected by these methods. Some planets may be too far away or too dim or too small, or the orbital inclination is not suitable for observation. Therefore, when estimating the number of exoplanets, it is necessary to consider detection bias and use statistical models to correct the data.

So far, over 4000 confirmed exoplanets have been discovered in the Milky Way, and there are still thousands of candidates to be confirmed. There are many potential "terrestrial" planets located within the habitable zone and with characteristics similar to Earth's size, mass, density, or temperature. These planets may be the best target for us to find extraterrestrial life, because they may have similar environment and conditions to the Earth.

However, to determine whether a planet is truly 'terrestrial', more in-depth and detailed observation and analysis are needed. We need to understand their atmospheric composition, surface characteristics, climate change, geological activities, and other aspects of information to determine whether they are suitable for the existence of life or whether there are already signs of life. This information can be obtained through methods such as spectra of different wavelengths or direct imaging.

One of the most important methods is to search for so-called "biomarkers", which are chemical substances or phenomena that can indicate the existence or past existence of life activities. For example, on Earth, the atmosphere contains a large amount of oxygen and ozone produced by plants through photosynthesis, which can be considered a strong biomarker. Similarly, if some imbalanced or abnormal chemical substances or reactions are found on other planets, it may also indicate that there is some form of life affecting them.

However, not all biomarkers are reliable and unique. Some chemical substances or phenomena may also be generated by non biological processes, such as volcanic eruptions, lightning discharges, comet impacts, etc. Therefore, when determining whether a planet has life, one cannot rely solely on single evidence, but needs to consider multiple factors comprehensively and exclude other possibilities.

At present, humans have not found any conclusive biological markers on any exoplanets. However, with the continuous progress and innovation of astronomical technology, we have reason to believe that in the near future, we will be able to find conclusive evidence of life on certain exoplanets.

In order to achieve this goal, the international community is planning and developing new space missions and instruments to enhance the detection and analysis capabilities of exoplanets. For example, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in December 2021 is a giant telescope in the infrared band, which can make high-resolution spectral observations of the atmosphere of exoplanets and look for potential biomarkers such as water, methane and oxygen. In addition, NASA plans to launch the Roman Space Telescope (WFIRST) in the late 2028, which is a wide field telescope in the visible light band. It can use the gravitational microlensing effect to find thousands of exoplanets, and use the coronagraph to directly image some exoplanets.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is also actively promoting its exoplanet missions. In addition to the successfully launched and operational Earth like Planet Feature Satellite (CHEOPS), ESA also plans to launch the Earth like Planet and Oscillating Star Satellite (PLATO) in 2026. This is a multi-objective telescope array that can use transit methods to discover thousands of exoplanets located in the habitable zone, with sizes and masses close to Earth, and accurately characterize their main stars; And the launch of the Atmospheric Remote Sensing Infrared Extrasolar Large Survey Satellite (ARIEL) in 2029, which is an infrared spectral instrument capable of analyzing the chemical composition of the atmospheres of hundreds of different types and sizes of exoplanets.

In addition to the United States and Europe, other countries or regions also have their own exoplanet projects or participate in them. For example, the world's largest 500 meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) built in China is a giant radio telescope that can detect and study various radio sources in the universe, including extrasolar civilizations that may send artificial signals. In addition, China has also participated in the ARIEL mission in Europe and plans to launch its own exoplanet exploration satellite, the Earth 2.0 Telescope, in 2026. This is a multi-objective telescope array that can use transit methods to discover thousands of exoplanets located in the habitable zone, with sizes and masses close to Earth's, and accurately characterize their main stars.

In short, the study of exoplanets is a highly challenging and promising field of astronomy, which can not only reveal various wonderful and diverse celestial bodies and phenomena in the universe, but also help us explore the mysteries of the origin and evolution of life, and even find other intelligent life. With the construction and launch of more advanced and powerful space missions and instruments in the future, we have reason to expect that in the near future, we will be able to find conclusive evidence of the existence or past existence of life on certain exoplanets, and communicate and interact with them. This will be one of the greatest and most important discoveries in human history.

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