Water traces were discovered approximately 13 billion light-years from Earth

Discover a team of astronomers Effects of water and carbon monoxide In, it is appropriate to say, A galaxy far away, quotes A certain George Lucas masterpiece. It is called SPT0311-58, which is actually a beauty 12.88 billion light years From us, it is believed that it formed in the very early stages of the life of the universe. This observation was made thanks to the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) radio telescope in Chile: scientists are always looking for traces of the elements essential to the formation of life – at least as we know it.

The search was published in Astrophysical Journal, and represents the most impressive study of the gaseous contents at the molecular level of The galaxy formed in the very early stages of the life of the universe, as well as the discovery of distant waters in the galaxy where star formation occurs. By the way, SPT0311-58 actually consists of two different galaxies, which are still merging with each other: they were discovered in 2017, and they probably belong toera of reionization, a period of time between 400 million and 1 billion years after the Big Bang, when the first galaxies and quasars began to form. It is called the “reionization era” because the massive mass of neutral hydrogen in its gaseous form has acquired an ionic charge that allows light to travel. Previously, all photons were absorbed by neutral hydrogen.

According to scientists, the two galaxies SPT0311-58 are currently merging and forming stars at a high rate, consuming gas. It is likely that it will become a giant elliptical galaxy, a type similar to those found in regions of the universe relatively closer to Earth. The largest of the pair is in fact one of the largest of all, at least if we consider the initial stage of the universe – more precisely, it possesses The largest amount of gas and dust ever.

Water is estimated to be the third most abundant molecule in the entire universe after hydrogen and carbon monoxide. ALMA astronomers focused on the largest galaxy in their research. The study of galaxies from this age is important because it helps Understand the formation of the entire universe. ALMA, one of the world’s largest arrays of radio telescopes, has proven to be a valuable tool in this regard. Located in Chile, the facility is jointly managed by ESO, the European Southern Observatory, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and Japan’s National Institute of Natural Sciences (NINS).