July 26, 2011: Quasar Contains Largest Water Reservoir In The Universe

classicman · 07-25-2011, 08:00 PM

Quote:

H2O, anyone?

Astronomers have discovered a reservoir containing 140 trillion times the amount of water in all the Earth's oceans, making it the largest mass of water ever detected in the universe.

"The environment around this quasar is unique in that it's producing this huge mass of water," Matt Bradford, a Caltech visiting associate and NASA scientist said in a press release. "It's another demonstration that water is pervasive throughout the universe, even at the very earliest times."

Quasars are extremely luminous and compact galactic nuclei fueled by a central and supermassive black hole.

This quasar holds a black hole that's 20 billion times more massive than the sun, and after gobbling down dust and gas it belches out as much energy as a thousand trillion suns. The water vapor is spread around the black hole in a gaseous region spanning hundreds of light years.

from here

SPUCK · 07-26-2011, 05:52 AM

All that water down the drain.

ToastyOhs · 07-26-2011, 08:04 AM

Even with all that water and energy...

"THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

CaliforniaMama · 07-26-2011, 08:24 AM

I wonder if we could hook up a hose?

Scriveyn · 07-26-2011, 02:28 PM

So much water, so little whisky

BigV · 07-27-2011, 04:50 PM

???? srsly? maybe you just need better whiskey

07-26-2011, 08:24 AM	#4
CaliforniaMama I wonder . . . Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The Left Coast, a pretty good place to be. Posts: 1,278	I wonder if we could hook up a hose? __________________ Take time for silence. You never know what you might hear.

07-27-2011, 04:50 PM	#6
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	???? srsly? maybe you just need better whiskey __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

07-26-2011, 05:52 AM	#2
SPUCK Professor Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 1,911	All that water down the drain.

07-26-2011, 08:04 AM	#3
ToastyOhs Discontinued Breakfast Food Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Coastal Maine, USA Posts: 58	Even with all that water and energy... "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

07-26-2011, 02:28 PM	#5
Scriveyn amnesic-confabulatory opsimath Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Between my ears Posts: 739	So much water, so little whisky

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)