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'140 trillion Earths’ water': A Black Hole is hiding reservoirs bigger than we ever imagined

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

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Hidden Waters

Astronomers discovered an enormous water reservoir encircling a black hole, containing 140 trillion times the water on Earth—shattering assumptions about cosmic conditions.

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Quasar Wonders

Located near the quasar APM 08279+5255, this water vapour forms part of a hot, gaseous cloud stretching across hundreds of light-years, interacting with intense gravitational forces.

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Early Universe

This discovery reveals conditions when the universe was just 1.6 billion years old, offering insights into the evolution of galaxies and the role of water in their formation.

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Immense Energy

The quasar emits energy equivalent to a thousand trillion suns, powered by a black hole 20 billion times more massive than our Sun, as detailed by The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Cosmic Vapour

Unlike Earth’s oceans, this water is vapour, interacting with the quasar’s heat and energy, challenging ideas about water’s survival in such hostile environments.

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Universal Element

Water vapour near quasars hints at its role in cooling molecular clouds, which give rise to stars and planets, showing water’s importance in the cosmos.

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Unexpected Abundance

Despite assumptions, astronomers found water vapour 4,000 times more abundant near the quasar than in our Milky Way, reshaping the search for habitable planets.

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Fuel or Stars

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimates the gas around the black hole could feed it to six times its size—or condense into stars, leaving the future of this gas cloud uncertain.

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Challenging Limits

This finding underscores the resilience of water, existing even in extreme heat and energy zones, pushing humanity’s understanding of where life-sustaining elements may thrive.