Scientists who observe distant planets and galaxies are looking for evidence of elements that could support life, at least as we know it. One of those elements is water. Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile are investigating a galaxy system (consisting of two galaxies) that formed in the early universe and is called SPT0311-58. During the investigation, scientists discovered traces of water and carbon monoxide in the larger galaxy. SPT0311-58 is 12.88 billion light-years from Earth.
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The discovery is very important because it indicates the most distant galaxy, and specifically the most distant point in the universe, in which we have detected water.
The existence of water in this galaxy means that more complex chemical and molecular processes had begun in the Universe much earlier than scientists had estimated.
SPT0311-58 is made up of two galaxies discovered in 2017. Both belong to the Reionization Era, when the universe was only 780 million years old. This is the time when the first stars and galaxies were born.
The evidence suggests that the two galaxies are merging, and scientists believe they are forming stars very rapidly. They also believe that the galaxies are evolving into massive elliptical galaxies like those seen in the Local Universe. To discover the water and carbon monoxide molecules, the researchers used the international ALMA telescope and focused on the larger of the two galaxies. According to one of the scientists who made the observations, carbon monoxide and water, in their molecular form, are crucial for life as we know it.
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The largest galaxy appears to have the most mass of any known galaxy from that early era. Interestingly, it has more gas and dust than most galaxies from the early universe, giving scientists the opportunity to investigate the abundance of molecules and learn how these molecules influenced development in the early universe. Water is the third most abundant molecule in the universe, after molecular hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
The ability to study galaxies from the early universe is important because it allows scientists to learn more about how the universe was born, grew, and evolved. Galaxies from the early universe form stars much faster than our own Milky Way. Scientists are not finished with their study of SPT0311-58. This study not only provides answers about where and how far away water might exist in the universe, but also raises a big question: How did so much gas and dust accumulate to form stars and galaxies in the early universe? The answer requires more research to understand the structural formation and evolution of the early universe.
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The ALMA, which helped make these observations, is a very important tool that operates thanks to the collaboration of major space agencies.
Source: SlashGear
