Detect signs of water in the most distant galaxy ever

The ALMA system consists of 66 telescopes located in Chile

Water discoveries are always interesting because they open the way to search for extraterrestrial life. Recently, scientists confirmed to find signs of water in a galaxy about 12.8 billion light-years from Earth.

Some water molecules were found in SPT0311-58, a massive galaxy dating back to when the universe was only 780 million years old.

Astronomers working at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign using ALMA in Chile have found evidence of water molecules made up of hydrogen, oxygen atoms, in the ancient galaxy.

ALMA consists of 66 radio telescopes deep in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest places on Earth.

At an altitude of nearly 5,000 meters, half the flight altitude of a jumbo jet, construction workers have to carry oxygen tanks with them all the time to complete the work.

ALMA is currently the most powerful ground-based telescope in the world, the most expensive telescope in the world, and the most expensive to build, estimated at nearly $1.2 billion to complete.

The new discovery involves some of the most detailed and intricate studies of gas molecules in the early universe. Finding evidence of water molecules gives the team insight into the rate at which the universe is changing.

The region of water molecules found on SPT0311-58, made up of two galaxies that the ALMA scientist first saw in 2017.

"Using high-resolution ALMA observations, we detected water and carbon monoxide molecules in two larger galaxies," said Sreevani Jarugula, lead author of the study. carbon are first-generation elements, in the molecular form of carbon monoxide and water. They are vital to life."

SPT0311-58 is currently the largest known galaxy since the beginning of the universe, having more dust and gas than other early galaxies. "This offers us many potential opportunities to observe abundant molecules and better understand how life-giving factors influenced the development of the early universe," said Sreevani Jarugula. know.

According to Jarugula, there is still a lot to learn about SPT0311-58 and the galaxies of the early universe. "This exciting result demonstrates the power of ALMA, adding to the growing collection of cosmic observations," said Joe Pesce, astrophysicist and ALMA program director at the National Science Foundation. primitive pillar".