‘Water’ Molecules Detected at the Other End of the Universe

Scientists have made an exciting discovery using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile. Examining a galaxy 12.8 billion light-years away, researchers discovered water molecules made up of oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The galaxy, named SPT0311-58, is stated to be the most distant place where water molecules have been observed.

Researchers think that the galaxy, which is 12.8 billion light-years away, was actually the result of the merger of two different galaxies. Light, the fastest being in the universe, reaches Earth from the galaxy in 12.8 billion years. This means that the water molecules observed now actually date back 12.8 billion years. In other words, these molecules may have completely disappeared by now, or they may have provided a suitable environment for life and even a rising civilization. Unlike these fantasies, scientists think this new discovery is of great importance in understanding the universe and the history of Earth’s formation.

Discovered water molecules shed light on the early universe:

ALMA’s observations of ‘molecular formation’ in the water molecule-discovered galaxy.

SPT0311-58, which is thought to shed light on the early stages of the universe, has great potential to shed light on the formation, growth and evolution processes of galaxies. Scientists think that the presence of water molecules on such a distant planet opens the door to new discoveries. One of the questions that occurred in the minds of researchers after the discovery was: “How did gas and dust clouds come together to form galaxies and stars so early in the universe?” With the discovered water molecules, a new perspective has been gained on how fast the universe is changing in the molecular dimension.

Joe Pesce, an astrophysicist and researcher who contributed to this discovery made at ALMA, said, “This exciting result obtained by the power of ALMA has taken its place among the observations made about the early stages of the universe. Water molecules, which are important for life on Earth and found in the galaxy SPT0311-58, provide new information about the processes at the time of the formation of the universe very differently from today. ” he declared.