Astronomers Find Massive Water in Space and Our Solar System
Astronomers have discovered some amazing new evidence of huge amounts of water, both out in the farthest reaches of space and in our solar system. These discoveries tell us just how much water is out there in the universe, and why it matters.
A Cosmic Ocean: The Biggest Water Reservoir Ever Seen
On August 10, 2024, researchers found a huge water supply around a quasar over 12 billion light-years away. It is the biggest and farthest detection of water in this universe. The supermassive black hole is powering the quasar, and this cloud of vapors has approximately 140 trillion times more water than all the Earth's oceans combined. This is a huge result, as this implies gigantic water quantities formed within less than 2 billion years after the Big Bang.
Water vapor is contained in a molecular cloud that the energy of a quasar that has warmed up to provide an ideal setting for water. These discoveries indicate the importance of water in the early universe, and they are important steps toward understanding how galaxies form and evolve.
The Qur'an mentions creation and water abundance as essential elements of life. Allah says in Surah Al-Anbiya (21:30), "And We made from water every living thing. Then will they not believe?" This verse emphasizes the presence and importance of water everywhere, which aligns with the latest scientific discovery about its existence in the universe.
Oceans on Mars
On Earth, closer to home, the NASA InSight mission recently announced on August 12, 2024, evidence for a large reservoir of liquid water beneath Mars. Seismic data indicate that the reservoir is likely located between about 11.5 and 20 kilometers beneath the surface of the planet. The findings have profound implications for understanding Mars's geology and its potential to harbor life.
It definitely challenges the ideas deeply rooted regarding an arid Mars but opens it up for search and exploration purposes and most probably to establish the existence of microbial life, providing insight into climate history on the planet. At this scale and significance, one can assume it would cover the planet with a thick layer of water up to one mile in thickness.
This corresponds well with the statement of the Quran on water as a life-sustainer. Surah Al-Mulk puts forth a rhetorical question in verse 67:30, saying, "Say, 'Have you considered: if your water was to become sunken [into the earth], then who could bring you flowing water?' The value of all beings for this stuff is therefore deepened.
Impacts on Life Seeking
These discoveries mark an important milestone and highlight the preponderance of water in the universe-from distant galaxies to our solar system. Water is one of the key ingredients for life as we know it, and the more prevalent its presence, the greater the chances of extraterrestrial life.
In the case of Mars, this underground reservoir might be the source of potential habitat for microbial life, safe from the severe surface conditions. Quasars, on the other hand, with their water vapor clouds, let us catch a glimpse into the early history of the universe and the possible conditions that could facilitate the formation of life in galaxies far, far away.
Explorations of the Future
It ignites excitement over what future missions will bring forth about these tremendous underground water reservoirs. More importantly, researchers, using newer advanced technologies, should be directed at further explorations to understand how similar reservoirs function elsewhere in our solar system like on the surface of Europa - Jupiter's Moon and Enceladus-Saturn's Moon. And on the more cosmic level, astronomy is looking deeper into far-distant galaxies as it researches the water involved in its building.
With each discovery, the abundance of water throughout the universe changes our view about cosmic evolution and the possibility of life beyond our planet.
Author: @xeeshanab
