Space water is 140 trillion times more than that found on Earth!
We all look at the night sky and are amazed by its million twinkles. Often you might find yourself wondering if there is indeed life outside of Earth, isn’t it? Well, searching for signs of life in the outer space is a life-mission for many space scientists. Since life cannot exist without water. So, they automatically look for signs of water on other space bodies. Luckily, we already have evidence that water exists in space! Space agencies like the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), among others, invest millions of dollars in searching for water on other planets. So, when water was found in a gaseous state near quasar (a massive black hole), it was indeed a big deal! Yes, scientists have discovered a huge cloud containing more water than what exists on Earth! In fact, it's 140 trillion times more than the Earth! Two teams of astronomers from NASA discovered water in a reservoir in 2011. It is one of the largest and most distant water reservoirs detected in the universe. Let’s see what more mysteries this water holds!
It is 12 billion light-years away
There is a giant water cloud, suspended in space in a gaseous state, located nearly 12 billion light years away from Earth, surrounding the black hole quasar, a massive cosmic body. But how far are 12 billion light years? Or what is one light year? Well, one light year is the distance that light can travel in a year. So, the distance travelled by light in a year becomes one light-year distance. To put the distance into perspective, 1 light year equals 9 trillion 500 billion kilometres. Now, multiply this number by 12 billion and you get the distance between Earth and the water cloud. Way too far, isn’t it? Our minds cannot keep .track of the number of zeroes in that distance in fact! This is not the only mind-blowing number associated with the massive water cloud. It weighs more than 40 billion times the weight of Earth!
This is not the first time space water has been discovered
For starters, there is plenty of water in the Milky Way galaxy, but there is a catch. The water of the Milky Way is frozen. Wait, where is this water located? Water is present on exoplanets i.e., planets beyond our solar system. Exoplanets were found in the year 1992. Ever since their discovery, scientists have been keen on finding whether life could sustain on these planets. A recent analysis by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope and ESA's Gaia satellite shows that these exoplanets are 50% water. This observation was made by an astronomer from Harvard University called Li Zeng. He observed that water is the major component of these exoplanets, earning them the name of 'water worlds.' The milky way is filled with water worlds. More than 4000 planets discovered so far in a milky way are water worlds!
How water behaves in space
With so much water in space, you may wonder how all this water behaves. Does it float or stand still? Let us find out! On Earth, we live under the pull of gravity. Because of gravity, everything gets pulled towards the Earth's centre, including water. However, there is no gravity in space! So, in space water certainly doesn't fall, it takes the shape of a water bubble (sphere) and floats freely. Why a sphere, you ask? Well, the laws of physics in space are to blame! With no gravity in space, there is no downward force pulling the water. So, the force acting on the water is the same from all directions. As a result, water takes up the shape of a sphere, with the least surface area. On Earth, this shape gets distorted because of gravity. Something to keep in mind when you are watering your space gardens!